Cutting costs is key for sports clubs in 2023; we’re all sick to our back teeth of hearing about the cost of living crisis, but the truth is budgets are getting tightened and the old adage ‘every penny counts’ is more relevant than ever.
Getting serious about energy efficiency has gone from an optional extra to an essential element when it comes to saving money, and it extends to every area of your clubhouse.
In this article, we’re taking a deep dive into your beer cellar, the importance of insulation, and as always, the impact it can have on your bottom line. We’ll cover:
Retaining cool air
Plugging holes
Retrofitting insulation board, and
Fire doors.
Why does insulation matter?
When serving the perfect pint, temperature matters. To quote goldilocks herself, it can’t be too warm, it can’t be too cold, it’s got to be just right. When it comes to finding that sweet spot the walls of your cellar become friend or foe.
Why? Because their structure and insulation level impact how much energy you need to maintain pint perfection. In other words, the insulation in your beer cellar directly impacts how much energy you consume and therefore how much it costs your club.
So, now we understand the why, let’s get stuck into the how.
Wall construction: retaining cool air
To maximise your beer cellar’s efficiency, and therefore minimise your costs, the aim is to retain as much of the cooled air in your cellar as possible and that’s why wall construction plays a pivotal role.
The least efficient structure is an uninsulated single brick wall - it leads to significant heat transfer and loss of that all important cooled air.
An insulated cavity wall, on the other hand, is efficiency gold-standard. That’s because the gap between the two layers of brick is filled with insulating material which:
reduces heat transfer (tick),
traps the cooled air (tick),
keeps your cellar cooler for longer (tick), and as a result,
reduces strain on your cooling system (full marks).
Plugging holes: get vigilant
Even the smallest hole can allow that all important cooled air to leak from your beer cellar which, you guessed it, reduces its energy efficiency.
Our top tip? Regularly check for any gaps in the walls and get them filled pronto. It will help maintain the temperature inside your cellar without your cooling system working overtime (and charging you double).
When it comes to cool air leaking, another simple yet effective step is to always make sure any internal doors to your cellar are kept shut when not in use to prevent cool air escaping into the clubhouse.
Retrofitting insulation board
The idea of upgrading your insulation can seem daunting (not to mention expensive) but retrofitting insulation board i.e. insulation that's added to an existing building after its construction, needn’t be either of those things. In fact, the beauty of retrofitting your cellar is that aesthetics don’t matter (unless ‘most beautiful beer cellar of the year’ becomes a thing..)
Good to know: Insulation boards aren’t just for walls, but you can add them to your roof and floor too.
PIR (polyisocyanurate) boards are arguably one of the most efficient options on the market. They have high thermal performance, meaning they effectively resist heat transfer and help you maintain that all-important stable temperature in your beer cellar.
Fire doors: more than a safety feature?
Last but not least, our final insulation hack is to consider installing fire doors. Why? Because they’re tight fitting i.e. they trap in that cooled air we’ve harped on about throughout this article.
Yep, fire doors have excellent insulating properties and can reduce the amount of heat that enters your cellar while making sure the cold air your cooling system has worked hard to generate stays put.
Key takeaways
The construction of your beer cellar and the insulation within it are crucial factors to consider when looking for ways to cut costs and improve energy efficiency, all while ensuring every pint you pour stays perfect.
We’ve shared four effective and easy-to-action hacks in this article but insulation is just the tip of the iceberg.
If you’re ready to take it to the next level and optimise your beer cellar for maximum energy efficiency contact Chris at chris@tjbservices.co.uk and learn more about efficient cooling, smart controls, cellar fans, and more.
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