Nurturing Grapes, Cultivating Sustainability
Charging stations, geothermal, and solar at Hunt Country Vineyards
Finger Lakes Winery Discovers Caring for the Environment is Good for Business
Nestled in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country, family-owned Hunt Country Vineyards is in a beautiful setting, run by Suzanne Hunt and Matt Kelly. Tourists from near and far can come enjoy wine tastings and live music and learn about the sustainability efforts that Hunt Country Vineyards has undertaken. While many customers may not have come specifically to hear about sustainability, there is an audience for it. Hunt Country Vineyards has seen a 10% increase in visitors due to their pioneering sustainability efforts, an incredible feat in this competitive industry. Suzanne Hunt said, “People value organic food but don’t understand how to apply this same value to wine”. Hunt Country Vineyards is hoping to change that starting with sharing their sustainability story with customers.
Setting an Example for Winemakers
Winemakers, by nature, have a profound appreciation for the soil beneath their vines, recognizing it as a precious resource influencing the quality of their grapes. Tapping into the heat below the earth's surface for geothermal power aligns nicely with this mindset. Hunt Country uses this energy-efficient process to heat and cool its buildings. With an environmental science background, Suzanne Hunt believes that caring for the environment is the right thing to do and says, “Fine wine grapes are some of the most climate-sensitive crops and more winemakers should be talking about this”.
Project Highlights
Quiet resort atmosphere
Decreased operating costs
Unobstructed views and natural beauty
At Hunt Country Vineyards, about 25 years ago, the tasting and winemaking rooms were built and well-insulated. 20 years ago, an efficiency audit was done, and the journey to electrification began with a recommendation to move to geothermal for heating and cooling of the buildings, installed in 2012. In 2015, solar was added and in 2019, EV chargers were installed. The order of events was determined based on where to get the biggest energy improvements for the buck by calculating payback periods including available state and federal incentives. Hunt Country Vineyard was an early adopter of these technologies, and the costs incurred and number of contractors who have experience have improved since then. Suzanne Hunt said, “Ultimately, as a member of the winemaking industry, we wanted to demonstrate how to keep fossil fuel out of the area by putting money where our mouth was into the solution.”
Comfort and Quiet for Less Cost
The geothermal system was sized for heating/cooling the buildings. This system was first generation, and technology has been improving since then. Maintenance is also easier and simpler now. It is important to have an installer who knows what they are doing. For example, they should know not to use groundwater for it. There was no learning curve for the staff, however. And the difference in the noise level in the tasting room from the previous system is measurable. It's much more quiet and comfortable now and hidden away! Solar is even easier. Once it’s installed, there are no moving parts to deal with.
Geothermal is much more efficient than the previous system. Heating costs are stabilized month-to-month. Even during the coldest winter months (Jan-Mar), it doesn’t cost much more to heat than in less cold months (Oct-Dec). The overall annual running cost has increased only $2,000 but cooling was added which was not included before. NYSERDA did provide some cost share for the installation of geothermal. With this help, the payback was 8 years. Solar came with some tax credits. The payback on the solar panels was 7 years.
Free Charging Stations Help Go the Distance
Because Hunt Country Vineyards is located about 1-2 hours away from the bigger cities and is considered a destination, customers are excited to find free charging stations when they arrive for a wine tasting. They were the first winery to offer free charging stations in the area and believe it is a competitive advantage. A side benefit to having charging stations is the staff use them too and they have been able to attract staff members with environmental science backgrounds because of this perk.
There are five charging stations conveniently located in the center of the parking lot so cars can access them from both sides. At any given time usually two of the five are in use. While Hunt Country Vineyards paid for the charging infrastructure, Tesla provided up to five charging stations at no cost. Only one is universal and they would like to add a second universal station. Hunt Country Vineyards provides the power for the charging stations at no cost to customers and staff. Many of the vineyard’s vehicles are electric and operate with significantly less noise making for a quieter experience for guests.
Best Practices
Obtain Knowledge of Incentives and Tax Credits. The cost of these technologies is high, and the funding landscape is complex, but using a combination of programs yields big benefits. Installers should be able to tell you what is available.
Develop a Good Relationship and Use a Local Bank. Hunt Country Vineyards worked with NYS Green to bring education to their local banks regarding working with customers on such projects and they added an energy project product line.
Be Data Driven. Make decisions based on data available. Get multiple proposals.
Learn from Professional Organizations. International Wineries for Climate Action can provide information on best practices for winemaking and analysis tools such as sustainability and carbon accounting analyses. AMPED can provide info on electrification incentives and skilled contractors.
Understand Time and Capital Commitment. Ensure you are fully educated before beginning on this capital and time intensive journey.
What’s Next on the Climate Action Journey?
By choosing geothermal and solar as primary energy sources, Hunt Country Vineyards not only prioritizes sustainability but also harmonizes their operations with the earth's natural rhythms, showcasing a model of environmental stewardship that will be resilient to changes ahead.
Hunt Country Vineyards has implemented three environmentally friendly technologies over eight years. Some had monetary payback and all have had intrinsic value. They are still in the “Hunt” for biodiesel fuel for the large farm equipment and would like to add a second universal charging station. They would also like to add battery power storage for the increase in power outages. They adopted early and are very pleased with the results!
Things to Consider
Depending on the size of the space, air source heat pumps might be a good place to start because they are less capital-intensive than geothermal. More accessible depending on size and scale.
If interested in solar, a lot of decisions need to be made as to where to put the solar panels (roof or on land).
If interested in EV, if you can put the chargers in the middle of your parking lot, then you can access from both sides.