MADISON — Focus on Energy is celebrating Earth Day by announcing a record number of 2019 Energy Efficiency Excellence Award winners.

Local winner was the New Glarus Brewing Company. 

Sustainability is a cornerstone of New Glarus Brewing, with the company always looking at the energy efficiency of existing processes and new projects. New Glarus Brewing started working with Focus on Energy in 2013 with a lighting project, becoming an early converter to LED. Projects continued into 2018, when New Glarus Brewing built a new refrigeration warehouse. Floating head pressure controls were incorporated in the buildout along with LED lighting, which reduced the lighting and refrigeration demand. 

The next phase of energy efficiency will be adding Solar PV to the roof of the newly constructed refrigerated warehouse in 2019 to produce 55,138 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.  Out of the seven Focus on Energy projects, New Glarus Brewing is in the process of Life Cycle energy savings of 5,409,515 kwh of electricity and 96,240 therms of natural gas. That’s enough energy to power 519 homes for one year.

The statewide energy efficiency and renewable resources program is honoring 18 winners, each chosen for their efforts to improve energy efficiency in Wisconsin.