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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m N o v - D e c 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 6 7 ments. On the other side of the country, the New York State Energy Research and Development Author- ity also has programs in place aimed at wineries. An excellent primer on energy conservation is the "BEST Winery Guidebook" put out by the Law- rence Berkeley National Laboratory, Fetzer Vineyards and the California Energy Commission. Granted, it's more than a decade old and some of the technology, statistics and figures have changed since then. But it's still chock-full of good infor- mation put together in an easy-to- understand format. Look up www. energy.ca.gov and type "best win- ery" in the search box. Experts advise that you start off with the measures that will give you the most return on your investment, and then funnel those savings back into the next tier of energy conservation projects. At large wineries, refrigeration accounts for about 45% of over- all energy consumption, according to BASE Energy, a consulting firm that teamed up with San Francisco State University to research ways wineries can cut energy consump- tion. But at smaller wineries, refrig- eration accounts for about 25% of energy consumption, while lighting and HVAC systems combined make up around 36%. Here are some popular adjustments to save energy in refrigeration, lighting and HVAC systems, as well as processing and wastewater systems. REFRIGERATION Close the door. According to BEST Winery, not having tight-sealing the investment pays off in three years or less. For wineries that pro- duce less than 150,000 cases per year, the cost of equipment might not be worth it. Several business- es, including Oenodia, do provide mobile electrodialysis services. Install variable frequency drives (VFD) on condenser fans, glycol circulation pumps and air handler fans. The amount of cooling a win- ery needs depends on the season and there are different temperature requirements for different types of wines. VFDs allow for optimal con- trol of the temperature based on actual need, and this usually results doors — and not keeping them closed — can result in a close to 21% loss of refrigeration energy in fermentation and cold stabilization. Something as simple as keeping those doors tightly closed comes out to about 15% savings in total refrigeration energy. Raise the glycol temperature and suction pressure set points when you're not using your refrigeration system to stabilize wine. Cold sta- bilization is needed for only short stretches of time during the year. So, when the system isn't being used for that purpose, raising the set points will result in about 25% less energy used. Reconsider the need for cold sta- bilization, which accounts for about 25% of electrical energy use at wineries. Electrodialysis is another method used to remove tartrates but, unlike cold stabilization, there's no need to chill and then reheat the wine. This measure can reduce energy consumption by about 80% compared to cold stabilization, according to research at Washing- ton State University. "We've been seeing a lot of demand for the equipment in the last three years or so," says Domingo Rodriguez, wine business manager at Oenodia North America, a company that spe- cializes in electrodialysis. "Wineries are traditionally rather slow when it comes to incorporating new tech- nology. They have a high-value product and they're skeptical about making changes. But electrodialysis has proven itself. Not only does it cut down on energy consumption, but it also cuts down on water used and time and wine wasted in cold stabilization." For most wineries, Domingo Rodriguez is wine business manager at Oenodia North America, a company that specializes in electrodialysis.