Beer Blotter

Going solar.

***This post was originally published on Builders Counsel, a blog authored by Seattle attorney Douglas Reiser. Doug provides regular legal commentary for BeerBlotter.com***

Here is a good sign that the construction industry is headed in the right way. A local Seattle company recently contacted me to show off the solar hot water system they installed for locally-craft brewers Big Al Brewing. I’m impressed.

If you don’t know by now, I have a soft spot for the brewing industry. A combination of my two favorite industries, green building and brewing, is a welcome topic here on Builders Counsel. Thanks to Net Zero Impact and Big Al Brewing, I can make that discussion a reality.

Seattle’s Net Zero Impact just finished installing a brand new solar hot water system at the South Park brewery. The upgrade was necessitated by the need for production growth at the brewery. When the orders came rushing in, Big Al required an additional 2,000 gallons of water per day to meet demand.

The new hybrid system is expected to save Big Al approximately $12,000 per year. And while it carries a cost of roughly $89,000.00, Big Al was only on the hook for roughly $30,000.00, thanks to energy efficiency incentives. The new system is expected to pay itself off in only 2.5 years!

Its a beautiful thing to see brewers investing in green technologies. This industry uses a significant amount of energy and water through its production process. Breweries like New Belgium (CO) and Abita Brewing (LA) have pioneered ways to turn operations green. Kudos to Big Al and Net Zero for taking steps in the right direction.