Brewery Receives Energy Efficiency Excellence Award
New Glarus, Wis. – New Glarus Brewing Company is known to consumers for using 100-percent natural ingredients and for only distributing their handcrafted beers in the state of Wisconsin.
Less recognized is the company’s emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency, qualities that earned New Glarus Brewing Company an Energy Efficiency Excellence Award from FOCUS ON ENERGY® on Tuesday.
“When we were considering nominations for energy efficiency awards, this company kept coming up,” said Jeff Mackey, an Energy Advisor with Focus on Energy. “It’s a testament to the fact that you (New Glarus Brewing Company) embraced energy efficiency and sustainability, and have been making that part of your business over the years.”
The brewery has been participating in the Focus on Energy program since 2013 on projects ranging from floating head pressure controls in its refrigerated warehouse to LED lighting upgrades and rooftop solar panels.
“When our customers use energy more efficiently, they produce their product at a lower cost and become more competitive in their markets. Craft breweries are a highly-competitive market,” said Bill Alt of Alliant Energy, which provides power to the company’s Hilltop Brewery location off Highway 69 on the south edge of New Glarus. “New Glarus Brewing, its employees and the community all benefit when we help them stay competitive through the Focus on Energy program.”
“We work well with the brewery,” added Joe Cockroft, Public Works Director and Superintendent of New Glarus Utilities, a member of WPPI Energy that supplies power to the New Glarus Brewing Company’s Riverside Brewery. “We couldn’t say much more about working with you guys at Focus on Energy.”
Since 2013, New Glarus Brewing Company has worked with its utilities and Focus on Energy on efficiency projects at both of its locations. The seven combined projects will have lifecycle energy savings of 5,409,515 kilowatt hours of electricity and 96,240 therms of natural gas – enough energy to power 520 homes for a full year.
“At Alliant, energy efficiency is a really critical component of our long-term resource plans,” said Jeff Ripp, Director of Regulatory Affairs for Alliant Energy. “And having success stories like this with our important customers is really critical.”
“For me, the best thing about coming out and talking with different business owners is to learn about the collaboration between business owners in Wisconsin, Focus on Energy and their local utility provider,” said Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Chairwoman Rebecca Cameron Valcq. “I think that collaboration is what’s going to continue to move Wisconsin forward.”
Valcq also noted a recent third-party evaluation of the Focus on Energy program that cited a federal study finding Wisconsin runs the most-cost-effective energy efficiency program in the nation.
Dan Carey, who founded and operates the brewery with his wife, Deb, accepted the award from PSC Chairwomen Valcq.
“I would say that, although we have had success with a lot of our initiatives, I think there’s a lot of room for continued efficiency improvements as we learn, as we get better, as we better understand our business,” Carey said, while also singling out the efforts of Jason Schultz and the rest of the brewery’s projects and engineering team.
“A lot of the (energy efficiency) initiatives, most of the work around them where the rubber hits the road, comes from Jason. He’s really the driver for a lot of this work.”
Since its start-up in 1993, New Glarus Brewing Co. has twice been named one of the World’s Ten Best Breweries at the World Beer Championship and thrice honored as Brewer of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival.
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable resources program, gives the Energy Efficiency Excellence Awards annually to Wisconsin businesses and groups that show a commitment to reducing energy waste.
The Focus on Energy program offers energy expertise and financial incentives to encourage Wisconsin homeowners, businesses and other groups to invest in energy efficiency. Customers of the 107 participating Wisconsin utilities are eligible for the benefits. A recent evaluation found every $1 invested in Focus on Energy generates more than $5 in benefits for the state of Wisconsin, including economic benefits, reduced pollution and reduced energy costs.
About Focus on Energy
Focus on Energy is Wisconsin utilities' statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state's investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control Wisconsin's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For more information call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.
