• Air compressor upgrades and replacements;
• Glycol pipe and tank insulation;
• Refrigerant heat recovery devices;
• Barrelwashing heat recovery.

As of January 2009, the PG&E ACR (air conditioning and refrigeration) rebate is $0.15/kWh saved, the ACRII rebate is $0.09/kWh saved, and $100 is credited for the reduction of each kW.

On September 24, 2009, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) authorized the largest three-year state energy efficiency program (2010-2012) in the U.S. to the tune of $3.1 billion. New PG&E energy efficiency rebates and incentives are being finalized. Applications received for products purchased and installed on or after January 1, 2010, are eligible for the newrebates.

Wineries should check their utility’s website for the most current rebates and incentives available that are subject to change.

“The Jordan facility requires refrigeration to chill jacketed wine tanks during harvest,” Chaaban explains, “and to maintain cold storage for barrels and case goods year-round. The Jordan project qualified for PG&E’s customized incentive program, and provided the winery with an annual savings of 261,001 kWh, reduction of 14 KW of demand, and a PG&E incentive of $36,540.”

Spence chose his existing maintenance contractor, Indoor Environmental Services (IES, Santa Rosa and Sacramento,CA), to install the new refrigeration system.

“The winery’s existing mechanical systemcontained awide variety of equipment that was added on and changed over many years,” says Ken Petro, CEO of IES. “Service repair costs and the age of some equipment were concerns that led the winery to choose to upgrade. We designed an energy-efficient mechanical system retrofit, replacing existing chillers, air handlers, and the control system.”

Three key energy-saving features of the new systems at Jordan Winery are: 1) Two Smart chillers with Turbocor compressors:

Replacing conventional reciprocating compressors with Turbocors resulted in a drop from 1.3 kW/ton to 0.7 kW/ton;

2) TwoEvapco cooling towers:Changing fromair-cooled towater-cooled compressors further dropped the energy usage from0.7 kW/ton to 0.5 kW/ton;

3) Six air handlers and two circulation pumps, and changing direct-expansion controls to a Honeywell/Tridium control system.

The Turbocor compressors with the water-cooled Smardt chillers are the latest in modern compressor technology, with magnetic instead of traditional bearings, eliminating both mechanical wear due to friction, and the use of oil. The variable speed compressors can be adjusted up or down depending on winery demand. PowerPax electronic expansion valves, and the optional use of load-balancing valves at very lowloads are included.

“Field reliability has been outstanding —not surprising when you consider that 80%of all chiller problems in the field are due to failures in compressor oil return, and the Smardt chillers use no oil,” explains Joe Cortese, PE, IES project engineer in charge of the Jordan installation. “Turbocor-trained engineers and technicians have found that total maintenance costs for oil-free chillers are well under half the cost of traditional, lubricated chillers.

“The elimination of oil usage for lubrication ensures that the efficiency of the Turbocor compressors remains constant over the years. In older technology, oil usage would lead to a gradual degradation of the heat transfer of the chillers.”

The Honeywell/Tridium controls regulate all aspects of the mechanical system, from the start/stop of chillers, to humidity and CO2 levels, temperature, and operating pressure of each compressor. The controls monitor, mark trends, and archive data for future reference. The Web-based system allows winery personnel remote access to 125 set-points. The combined technologies of the chillers, compressors, and controls deliver energy use reduction along with very quiet operation.

Jordan Winery reduced energy use by 108,600 kWh in its first yearwith the new equipment. System demand on the utility’s

grid was reduced by 14kW in 2008. PG&E credited the winery $36,540, based on an estimated energy-use reduction of 261,000 kWh per year with the new system.

Testing with Elite Pro meters shows that the actual performance of the new chillers is far better than originally calculated. Engineers believe the industry standard SPC Estimation Software and engineering calculations used to give wineries the catalog rebate amounts are too low for the high-performing Turbocors.

Jordan Winery’s condenser system loop is completed with two Evapco fluid coolers receiving water from two condenser pumps, while two system pumps circulate chilled water to air handlers throughout the facility. The fanmotors in the cooling towers have variable-frequency drives, minimizing the energy required to operate the fans while achieving required heat rejection.

In March 2009, Spence’s team upgraded the case goods warehouse with five more air handlers, and put two outside tanks onto the newcooling system.

More than 1,200 feet of old piping throughout the fermentation cellar was replaced by a new COOL-FIT™ ABS Plus pre-insulated piping system (175 feet of 4- inch diameter “main” lines, 400 feet of 3- inch diameter piping in tank aisles, and 650 feet of 1½-inch diameter connections to tanks). The system includes pipes, fittings, manual and actuated valves, and measurement and control devices. The pipe is black, UV-resistant insulated plastic, suitable for outdoor or indoor mounting, and Spence reports that the system maintains a consistent chilled water temperature of 32°F throughout the piping.

The unusual pipe joints fit together internally and are sealed with a solvent, so the insulation is not removed to perform joints, and seals are waterand vapor-tight. The smoothness of the plastic interior of the pipes inhibits deposit buildup and flow reduction, so the pipes experience less pressure loss and contribute to greater system efficiency.

With the further system upgrades and refinements to the new equipment to improve its performance in 2009, in early December, Spence measured Jordan’s reduction at 221,407 kWh for 2009.