Microbrewer given Shared Savings Award for energy conservation and being green. In this photo, from left to right: Dan Carey (Founder and New Glarus Brewing Co. Master Diploma Brewer), Deborah Carey (Founder and President of New Glarus Brewing Co.), and Dale Burgenske (Alliant Energy Strategic Account Manager).
MADISON, WI – April 27, 2009 – New Glarus Brewing Company has received a Shared Savings Award in recognition of significant achievement in energy efficiency and conservation. The award was presented to the microbrewer by Alliant Energy Strategic Account Manager Dale Burgenske on April 22. Shared Savings is an award-winning business energy-efficiency program that New Glarus Brewing participated in to save energy and benefit the environment.
“New Glarus Brewing Company is very deserving of recognition for the steps it has taken to realize sustainable energy-savings within its operations,” said Chris Schoenherr, Alliant Energy Director of Sales and Strategic Accounts. “We are proud that they are committed to being a green organization and we are pleased to give them our Shared Savings Award.”
New Glarus Brewing Company utilized Shared Savings to save a significant amount of energy when it built its new, 75,000-square-foot brewery and also its new energy-efficient wastewater treatment facility. Implementing green building practices and equipment into the construction saved 2,224,547 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 195 KW of energy savings. The project removes the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of 293 passenger vehicles from the road or saves enough energy to power 145 average-sized homes for one year.
“We are pleased to be recognized by Alliant Energy for our achievement in energy efficiency,” said, Deborah Carey, New Glarus Brewing Company President. “When we planned our brewery building and wastewater treatment facility, we worked to incorporate energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly design so we could reduce our energy use and environmental impact.”
New Glarus Brewing Co. is an exclusive group of just ten award winners from WPL's utility service territory. Award winners implemented energy-savings improvements resulting in considerable energy savings, demonstrated a unique application of energy-saving technologies or overcame significant barriers in carrying out their energy efficiency projects. Together, the ten selected award winners saved 9,950,033 kWh of electricity and 324,574 therms of natural gas via their recent Shared Savings projects. The energy saved is enough energy to power 995 homes, heat another 405 homes and remove the equvialent annual greenhouse gas emissions of 1,600 passanger vehicles- an impressive accomplishment!
As with any business, cash is important and paying for the energy-efficiency measures takes upfront dollars before the long-term gains can be realized. That’s where Shared Savings stepped in to assist the company. The program is an initiative that assists industrial, commercial and agricultural customers with identification and implementation of energy efficiency projects - and invests the capital to finance them.
“I met with Deborah and Dan Carey early on as they were sketching out plans for their brewery and wastewater treatment facility and they were very interested in environmental stewardship and wise energy use right from the start,” added Burgenske. “It ended up that financing available through our Shared Savings program was a perfect fit for getting their project accomplished.”
New Glarus Brewing Company began operations in June 1993 and wasted no time establishing itself as a world-class operation with many prestigious awards bestowed upon the brewery and its beers. In 1995 and 1999, the New Glarus Brewing Company was named one of the World's Ten Best Breweries at the World Brewery Championship. This competition involved more than three hundred breweries from 28 countries who submitted over 700 beers.
More recently the brewery was named Midsize Brewery of the Year in 2005 and again in 2006 at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Dan Carey, Diploma Master Brewer, was also named Brewer of the Year in both 2005 and 2006 at the Great American Beer Festival.
Through its Shared Savings program, Wisconsin Power and Light Company, an Alliant Energy company, has helped thousands of Wisconsin business and farm customers cut energy usage, save money and preserve precious natural resources for over 20 years. More than 2.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity have been saved over the last seven years with the program – that’s equal to the energy produced by a 280-megawatt power plant.
Business and farm customers interested in the low-cost financing available through WPL’s Shared Savings program are encouraged to visit www.alliantenergy.com/sharedsavings or call 1-866-ALLIANT (255-4268) for more information.
Alliant Energy is an energy-services provider with subsidiaries serving approximately 1 million electric and 400,000 natural gas customers. Providing its customers in the Midwest with regulated electric and natural gas service is the company’s primary focus. Wisconsin Power and Light, the company's Wisconsin utility subsidiary, serves approximately 450,000 electric and 175,000 natural gas customers. Alliant Energy, headquartered in Madison, Wis., is a Fortune 1000 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.alliantenergy.com.
