Apponaug Brewing Company.

Last Fall members of RISE attended a RI Hospitality Association (RIHA) event at the woman-owned Apponaug Brewing Company in Warwick, RI. We had the pleasure of discussing the Rhode Island Energy Small Business Program with fellow members. After the event, the owners of the Apponaug Brewing Company, Tamara McKenney (the BrewEO) and Kris Waugh reached out to us inquiring how they could save on energy consumption and maximize their financial savings for their small business.

RISE conducted a no-cost energy assessment of the business, which relies heavily on the use of several large coolers for both the brewery and the restaurant. The auditors found that existing evaporator fan motors ran continuously, as well as freezer defrosts, and anti-sweat door heaters regardless of need. They proposed updated, energy-efficient refrigeration thermostat controls that would enable the coolers to be easily monitored, running at the correct temperatures at the correct time. Also, the updated refrigeration controls enable the evaporator fans to cycle as needed, rather than running continuously. The upgrades will save around 17,000 kwh per year and a significant financial savings of $3,000 a year for this small business.

THE NEED

• Save energy
• Save money
• Reduce maintenance expenses

THE SOLUTION

• Replaced refrigeration controls with 4-zone of Energy-Saving CoolTrol refrigeration controls
• Replaced 10 existing shaded pole motors with 10 high-efficiency EC motors in evaporators
• Installed dewpoint-based pulse control for anti-sweat door heaters
• Installed smart defrost kit to prevent unnecessary electric defrost cycles