CASE STUDY: Wise Man Brewing

The Partner

This Winston-Salem brewery made a big commitment in 2017, when it announced something no other production brewery in the Triad had up to that point: Wise Man Brewing was going solar. The solar system sends a message as Wise Man Co-Founder Jason Morehead puts it, “We have always had a focus on sustainability. Now that we’re up and running, we’ve been able to take a step back and focus more on our footprint. Anyone who has been to our taproom knows that community is core to Wise Man’s culture. Being an environmentally friendly brewery is central to being a good neighbor and responsible business.”

The Challenge

This choice was made clearly with environmental well-being at the root, but also to address electricity costs, which can be substantial in the brewery industry. With the understanding that the initial costs of solar begin to pay for themselves immediately after the system is turned on, the decision was made for Wise Man Brewing to start looking into options for adding a solar system to their establishment.

The RENU Solution

After discussing with representatives from Renu Energy Solutions, both parties were able to agree that a 34-kiloWatt solar system would be the appropriate size for the brewery. This system will be able to effectively offset a majority of their future utility bills. 

In addition to this solar update, Wise Man also added insulation, LED lights, and high-efficiency water taps, in hopes of creating a more energy efficient environment within their business.

The customer foresees projected savings on monthly operating costs thanks to the efficiency measures combined with solar, according to advanced software programs used during the consultation process for the solar installation.

With the energy savings that will come from this project  they will save over 66,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year, which is equivalent to 74,564 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.