Breweries, wineries and vineyards

Breweries and wineries are energy-intensive operations. To save money and protect the environment, owners must search for high impact, low-cost efficiencies in engineering processes.

Look first at refrigeration and tank storage, which can consume half of your total energy, and then at packaging, compressed air, pumps, hot water and steam, fans, HVAC, lighting, and other equipment.

Every stage of winemaking uses energy. To save money and the environment, look for high impact, low-cost solutions in engineering processes—refrigeration and tank storage (which typically uses about 50–70 per cent of total electricity consumption), pumping, hot water and steam, HVAC, lighting, and wastewater treatment.

Energy management is getting smarter, and new solutions are emerging. Could you save from heating and cooling more efficiently? Would it be worthwhile upgrading or modifying your equipment? Have you installed low-cost lighting? Is your insulation optimal?

Have you considered solar and other renewables, an increasingly popular choice for many Victorian operators?  Energy-saving actions matter. Start with these resources:

Learn from others — brewery case studies

• 6 Australian breweries turned to solar to save, Clean Energy Council
• CUB is moving to 100 per cent renewable energy, Brews News
• Little Creatures is using natural gas-fired co-generation at its Geelong plant, ATCO Gas
• Beard and Brau Farmhouse Brewery in Mount Tamborine cut energy use by 28 per cent, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland

Wine industry case studies

• Wirra Wirra used the Wine Industry Energy Saver Toolkit, video South Australian Wine Industry Association Inc.
• Taltarni Vineyards stands to save $20,000 a year by acting on a resource assessment, Sustainability Victoria.
• Watch videos of the winners of the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) Environmental Excellence Awards since 2012 and see their energy efficiencies.
• Carbon and cost savings by St Hallett winery, Australian Wine Research Institute
• De Bortoli Wines saved $184,000 a year, Office of Environment and Heritage
• McLaren Vintners looks set to save $50,000 a year and use 23 per cent less energy by insulating its storage tanks, South Australian Wine Industry, the Department of Industry, and ZeroWaste SA.
• Taylors Wines saved by using air compressor consolidation and solar for wastewater treatment, South Australian Wine Industry, the Department of Industry, and ZeroWaste SA.
• Energy efficiency improvements winning awards and reaping rewards for some of South Australia’s wineries, article and videos from Adelaide’s Independent News.

Act now - fact sheets guides and tools

• Winery Energy Saver Toolkit from the South Australian Wine Industry Association and the Department of Industry to find ways to save.  
• Opportunities for beverage, wine and beer manufacturers to improve their material and energy efficiency, Sustainability Victoria.
• Efficiency in winery operations, a research report by the Australian Grape and Wine Authority.
• Compare resource efficiency performance against peer wineries, in this benchmark report by Green Industries South Australia.
• Explore energy efficiencies for wineries in this New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage guide.
• US craft brewing sector energy efficiency, from the US Brewers Association.
• Beverage, wine and beer manufacturers can save tens of thousands of dollars a year by improving energy and materials efficiency. Explore the options in this Sustainability Victoria guide.
• Learn how to improve winery refrigeration efficiency, in this guide from Wine Australia.
• Energy Efficient Equipment Toolkit from Food South Australia.

Know your options - more help and ideas

Victorian Energy Saver provides tools and information to help Victorian Businesses save energy and money.

• accessing and understanding energy data
• learn about energy retail offers and contracts
• get government assistance through business grants, training and support
• access discount energy saving products from the Victorian Energy Upgrades program e.g. upgrades to lighting, refrigeration fans, hot water and custom upgrades
• explore renewable energy options with Saving with Solar

There is more information on efficiency and improvements on our Equipment and Technologies: Case Studies & Guides page.