Cornwall New Energy is working with Skinner's Brewery to assess renewable energy options and improve energy efficiency

Founded in 1997 by Steve Skinner and his family, Skinners Brewery produces cask ales and bottled beers in the Cornish town of Truro. Their famous Betty Stogs bitter is the most decorated bitter in Cornwall and has won the Champion Beer of Britain's Best Bitter award.

The Brewery is already environmentally conscious: Cornish barley grown from three farms a short distance away is used in their beers and steps have already been taken to reduce electricity and gas consumption.Steve Skinner, the founder said:

“We have improved our electrical usage per brew by approximately 45 kWh and our Gas consumption marginally, water usage remains relatively static, but our beer loss has improved approximately 10%, with our trade effluent reduced 60% in the last 3 years”

Cornwall New Energy is helping Skinners Brewery assess the potential for installing a biomass boiler, to replace the existing gas one. Importantly, there are biomass fired steam boilers available, which is essential for Skinner's brewing and steaming processes. There is also a chiller which cools the brew, CNE will examine its electrical usage and explore the potential for heat recovery as an additional way to reduce wasted energy.

Without careful monitoring it is difficult to identify where and when the most energy is being used within a home or business. CNE is also assisting Skinners Brewery to improve their understanding of the electricity and gas usage to save energy and reduce emissions and running costs even further.

Skinners are committed to generating clean energy and reducing their energy consumption. We hope to be able to help with finding suitable technology, prove carbon savings and financial payback, and help them find funding support. They are also looking to expand their brewery and we hope our plans will be able to reflect that by freeing up capital to re-invest in business growth.

Interested in finding out how your business can benefit from Cornwall New Energy?

Call Amanda Forman on 07471 953 998 or email: a.forman@prp-co.uk