Best Practice Guide

Food and Beverage Growers and Processors

Fetzer Vineyard

J Vineyards and Winery

Mission Foods

S. Martinelli and Company

Sara Lee

Vineyard 29


Introduction

Planning an Energy Program

Funding and Approval

Commissioning

On-the-Farm Energy Use

Lighting

Building Envelope

Central HVAC System

Boilers

Steam

Combined Heat and Power

Compressed Air

Refrigeration

Motors

Demand Response

Distributed Generation

Water Use


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Case Study

J Vineyards and Winery

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Location: Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Type: Food and Beverage Processing Facility (winery)
Size: 45,000 sq. ft. winery and 15,000 sq. ft. barrel storage
Built: 1982

Company Website: http://www.jwine.com

Company Information
J Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1986. J Wine farms just over 250 acres in California's Russian River Valley where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals thrive, producing a sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

Located just 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, cool coastal maritime fog helps moderate heat accumulation from spring budbreak to fall harvest. Rainfall averages 35 to 40 inches per year, November through May. These climate considerations and the refrigeration requirements present fertile ground for benefits derived from energy-efficient techniques.

J's 40,000 sq. ft. winery, 15,000 sq. ft. barrel storage, and self-contained water system provide a wide variety of potential improvements in refrigeration, lighting and cleaning.

Corporate Philosophy
J Wine is dedicated from top down to sustainable winemaking. Founder and CEO Judy Jordan, a geologist by trade and an environmentalist at heart, built and expanded the winery with green practices since the beginning. Dana DiLuvio, formerly employed by Jordan Winery, was brought on board in 1997 as Facility Manager with a responsibility to create a winery that was both cost-effective and energy efficient. "Despite all of the cache around winemaking, we are manufacturers. Green business is just good for the bottom line."

Refrigeration
According to DiLuvio, "The biggest energy expense for any winery is refrigeration. For us, approximately 70 percent of our energy bill is for cold storage." From the time the fruit arrives for fermentation, until it goes out the door, temperature control is required. During the harvest season, the heat of fermentation must be displaced. Wines need to be cold stabilized before bottling, bringing large tanks down to near freezing temperatures. The entire plant must be maintained between 55º F to 60º F all year. Post harvest, almost 700,000 gallons of product in various sized tanks must all be chilled.

By 2000, Jordan and DiLuvio realized that they needed to expand refrigerated warehouse space to keep up with production. Because such a large portion of both expenses and profits depend on J's barrel warehouse, both Jordan and DiLuvio knew to invest in the most efficient and reliable system possible. For J Wine, this meant significant changes in insulation, a downsized, more efficient refrigeration unit, and computerized controls that stage variable-speed compressors to adjust operations according to actual loads.

For optimum results, DiLuvio green-lighted over $55,000 in additional insulation beyond code requirements, layering 3 inches of foam between concrete walls. This led to an immediate reward of $20,000 in energy efficiency rebates during the construction phase. However, J Wine discovered an unexpected bonus - because of the extra insulation, the company was able to save $71,000 on purchase and installation of downsized refrigeration equipment. Between the insulation, more efficient equipment, and optimized controls, J Wine saves a significant amount of energy and money from its refrigeration.

Sub-metering and Benchmarking
J purchased its facilities from an existing winery in 1996. In order to establish baseline data about energy-intensive equipment and processes, DiLuvio started by identifying "cost centers," and then established baseline energy use for each of these. All future measures could be measured against these initial benchmarks. Small digital meters were used to take measurements since J Wine didn't have its own utility meter.

DiLuvio explained, "At one time, we shared a meter with Rodney Strong, our next-door neighbor. It is very difficult to benchmark progress and make informed decisions without sub-metering." In lieu of a meter system, DiLuvio also added small digital meters to motor control panels. "It let us more accurately assign the energy costs to the production process," said DiLuvio.

Lighting
In 2002, DiLuvio retrofitted lighting in processing areas, replacing all 70 metal halide and 35 high pressure sodium high-intensity discharge (HID) fixtures with high output T8 fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts mounted about 20 feet from the floor. This effectively reduced each fixture from 470 watts to 220 watts. Thanks to a rebate from PG&E, energy savings paid for the investment in lighting in 18 months.

Offices and administrative spaces enjoy large glass windows that minimize the need for artificial light. When it is required, offices are equipped with T8 fluorescent indirect fixtures and fluorescent recessed fxtures. Motion sensors in the copier room shut off lights when it is unoccupied. Timers shut down outdoor lighting in the parking lot by 9 PM.

Barrel Washing and Water Sterilization
Water at J Wine is used primarily for barrel washing and, quite literally, turning water into wine. J Wine, like several wineries, is considered its own "water district," drawing its supply from a well on the property. As a result, J Wine is uniquely concerned about efficient and effective water treatment that makes the most of this important natural resource.

J Wine eliminated use of chlorine to disinfect wash water, since chlorine is capable leaching into the wood and walls of wine barrels - some of which cost over $700 each - and can alter the flavor of the wine. J Wine now relies on a system that uses ultraviolet light and ozone to sterilize water, rather than chlorine.

Besides these capital outlays, minor parts like seals and o-rings had to be replaced since ozone can some kinds of rubber.


Additional Activity

Environmental Education for Employees
There are approximately 70 employees at J Wine in a range of occupations and work environments. As a matter of company policy, recycling is encouraged across the company -- in the administrative areas, for example, office workers keep two baskets under their desks, and in production areas glass is reused, and all cardboard is bundled and recycled). Employees receive regular training at the beginning of harvest about the efficient use of resources and conservation behaviors.

Water conservation
As its own water district, J Wine tries to conserve water through process (behavior) changes that do not necessarily require technological improvements. Workers remove all solids, for example, before end-of-day cleaning and hose-downs. DiLuvio recalls that, "I've seen workers use a hose to move a single grape 9 or 10 feet as part of a clean-up. That is a enormous amount of lost water."

Community Participation
J Wine is an energy efficiency leader in the wine community and is active in peer-to-peer sharing of information about opportunities to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, and prevent pollution. J Wine is a featured case study in Sonoma Green Business Program's "Greenovations" guide, and is a participating member of the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance. J Wine has also provided important feedback on Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory's new program Benchmarking for Energy and water Savings Tool (BEST).

"Staying active in the community is a reward for us, both financially and environmentally. Its important to stay connected to companies who are part of this 'green wine' effort - not only to help give us some more great ideas, but to build rapport and remind us that we're in this together," said DiLuvio.

Future Projects
DiLuvio is looking at developing onsite co-generation, installing photovoltaics, and using waste heat to power chillers and boilers in new developments scheduled for 2006 to 2008