Grape to Bottle: Energy efficiency rebates for vineyards and wineries at the winery

Producing wine consumes a lot of energy and water. From irrigating the vineyard and harvesting grapes, to bottling and treating wastewater—there are unique opportunities for agriculture business owners to lower utility bills and increase profit margins.

The Agriculture Energy Saving Action Plan (AESAP) offers cash rebates and financial incentives at every stage of the winemaking production process to help you improve operations and lower costs. Thinking holistically about energy efficiency across your winemaking operation will maximize your rebate opportunities and long-term energy savings.

At the Winery

Save money on installing floating head pressure and pipe insulation controls as well as upgrading glycol pumps and replacing boilers

Energy-saving benefits of installing floating head pressure controls for winery refrigeration systems

Refrigeration is the largest energy consumer at the winery stage. Therefore, it is especially important it functions as efficiently as possible. Floating head pressure controls are relatively easy to install and reduce the power consumption of the refrigeration system. These controls extend the lifespan of compressors and save energy in cooler months as head pressure is regulated with air temperature.

Energy-saving benefits of VFD upgrades for glycol pumps

As with irrigation pump VFD upgrades, glycol pumps can benefit from the variable speed flow control, ramp-downs and slow-starts that VFDs offer. AESAP provides rebates for glycol pump VFD upgrades in wineries.

Gas-saving benefits of boiler replacements for wineries

Boilers—like those commonly used for sanitation, hot water and steam—also present an opportunity for energy savings at wineries when you upgrade or replace them with a more efficient model. High-efficiency boilers can reduce natural gas use and pay for themselves in energy savings in as little as one year.

Gas-saving benefits of steam and hot water pipe insulation

Uninsulated pipes result in energy waste and unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions. Fortunately, you can mitigate these harms by insulating your hot water or steam pipes.

View available rebates for floating head pressure controls, glycol pump VFDs, boiler replacements, and pipe insulation

Custom energy projects: savings beyond energy rebates for your winemaking business

Mid-sized and larger wineries can also benefit from customized, calculated incentives. AESAP helps ensure your winery can achieve optimal efficiency, no matter what you need to upgrade. Customized incentives are determined by the amount of energy saved and are tailored to meet the specific needs of your business. AESAP provides project support and engineering services at no cost to quantify energy savings and offers an incentive value for the energy-saving measure.

Winery projects that may qualify include projects like improving aerator efficiency for wastewater treatment, replacing metal halide or linear fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LEDs, compressed air upgrades and refrigeration improvements—including installing efficient compressors, condensers, chillers and advanced controls. Advanced VFD upgrades can also qualify. For example, a large winery recently installed a 450-HP VFD on a new screw compressor in an ammonia refrigeration plant. They’re set to receive an incentive of about $17,000, and the project is estimated to save the business $12,000 annually in energy costs.

Learn how to lower energy costs and save water at your winery

Reduce operating expenses and increase profit margins without impacting the quality of your wine with help from AESAP. View our incentives page to see the rebate levels and refer to the Rebate Catalog for equipment specifications on these and all available AESAP rebate opportunities. In addition to rebates, larger projects might be eligible for no-interest on-bill financing. AESAP can also connect you with a trade ally who can help you start your energy-saving project.