“One of the biggest opportunities for distilleries is waste heat recovery. Distilling involves heating and cooling the ingredients multiple times. Recycling waste heat or cooling can go a long way to improve the environmental footprint of a distillery,” notes Ernst Worrell, professor of energy resources & technology change at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Worrell is an author of the Energy Star Guide for Energy Efficiency and Cost-Saving Opportunities for Distilleries, which was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.
“Savings are possible without the expenditure of a lot of capital. Much comes down to how energy and sustainability is managed. The guide includes practices that distillery managers can implement right away.”
In 2018, distilleries spent nearly $60 million on energy. Reducing energy use achieves the dual goals of lowering operating costs, while at the same time lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Each of the guide’s chapters covers energy use in a different area of a distillery, from the boiler and chiller to the mash tuns and dry house. The guide includes case studies from over a dozen companies showing how different measures have been implemented by distilleries and discusses the benefits of a variety of technologies and practices including:
- Heat exchangers and vapor recompression
- Variable frequency drives
- Improved controls
- Strategic energy management practices
- LED lighting
“As our industry continues to grow, it becomes even more critical for companies to consider how they can increase the energy efficiency of their operations and do their part to improve their environmental footprint,” said DISCUS President & CEO Chris Swonger. “The energy guide will be an important resource in helping our members reduce environmental impacts as well as save money on operating costs.”
Comment: We’ve always been a fan of the EPA’s Energy Star program, which produces win-wins — cutting costs for business while conserving energy and reducing environmental footprints. In the 1980s, we slashed our electric bill simply by changing our light bulbs. We were one of the first small businesses to do so and were honored by EPA for the accomplishment.