Award winning wine maker, Kumeu River Wines, needs a reliable hot water system for the total wash down of equipment and also to maintain a constant temperature to cool down vats. So it was quite a problem when their 40-year-old diesel-fired steam generator started to falter, causing ongoing problems and expensive maintenance.

The idea of gas water heating appealed, but the gas main was over 400 metres away from the winery so this didn’t look like a feasible option at first. However a consultation with All Gas Solutions, a Channel Partner with Vector, lead to the decision by Vector to extend the gas main, enabling continuous flow water heating systems to be installed at the winery.

The systems have proven to be energy efficient, providing on-demand water heating when and as required. The automatic equipment requires no start-up procedure or downtime. And as Kumeu River Wines found, being able to set different temperatures for different tasks allows them to optimise their energy use. The systems are also a cost effective investment, with competitive pricing for the capital expenditure, and significantly lower ongoing costs.

As Michael Brajkovich, Winemaker, agrees, the decision to change to gas was a good one. “The whole installation and connection was very easy and occurred without any major disruption. It is all extremely convenient and a pleasure to use,” he says.