Brewery Efficiency and Energy Recovery (BEER) Program
Saving Energy in Craft Brewing
Process boilers are one of the largest users of natural gas energy for commercial craft breweries. A typical brewery with a 30 barrel capacity could use as much as 1.5 therms per barrel of beer produced, mostly at the boiler. Conventional low-pressure boilers tend to be less energy efficient because they rely on simple burner technologies and tend to have less insulation which could lead to excessive energy loss.
Modular high-pressure jacketed steam generators offer an average of 25%* energy savings over conventional boilers which may offer efficient burner technology and better insulation. The CarbinX carbon capture system is installed on the boiler’s exhaust, and works by using a chemical compound to scrub up to 25%** of the carbon out of the exhaust. The chemistry used generates heat, which is then captured in incoming boiler feed water. The feedwater preheating could provide up to 20%** energy savings at the boiler.
Program Offering
Eligible upgrades can receive a $5,000 rebate incentive, with a potential $10,000 rebate. Participants receive a complimentary energy use assessment, energy use monitoring, professional training, a final project report, and technical support throughout the retrofit process.
Eligibility Requirements
- Have an active SoCalGas commercial account in good standing.
- Have a total capacity of at least 30 barrels.
- Be legally able to sell beer in the state of California with all pertinent and current licenses intact.
- Be physically capable of installing the replacement equipment.
- Be agreeable to hosting representatives from SoCalGas and Frontier Energy performing various program activities such as metering equipment installation, facility walkthroughs for the purposes of energy use assessments, etc.
- Consent to the use of any collected energy data, site pictures, and survey results being used in any program documentation, including final project reports and promotional materials.
- Agree to installing one of the retrofit technologies in order to receive the rebate.
- Provide access to installation personnel.
