“ The fans have been perfect for our needs inside the production facility and out.
Highland Brewing Company has been turning out fine beer in the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1994. In fact, the brewery helped establish the town of Asheville as a craft-beer hub. But early on, the company recognized that its production facility suffered from a lack of airflow. In summer, people were “burning up” inside the building, Brewmaster John Lyda said. Then, when winter arrived, “heating bills were skyhigh.” The brewery needed a way to reduce temperatures inside in summer and cut heating bills in the winter months.
Highland first installed one 24-ft (7.3-m) and two 8-ft (2.4-m) diameter Powerfoil®X fans from Big Ass Fans® in the 19,000-sq-ft (1,765-sq-m) nonair- conditioned production facility to keep summer heat and winter bills under control. The fans create a cooling effect of up to 10°F (6°C) in the warmer months, and in winter destratify the air, reducing energy consumption by as much as 30 percent. Because the first fans were so effective, Highland later installed a 16-ft (4.9-m) diameter Element® in its 8,000-sq-ft (743-sq-m) tasting room, a 10-ft (3-m) Isis® in a brewing room and a 14-ft (4.3-m) Essence® in its new event space.
