![Alpine HVAC Service_Logo [Scaled-W]](https://alpinehvac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Alpine-HVAC-Service_Logo-Scaled-W.webp){kind=logo}
At Alpine HVAC, we are proud to offer Building Automation Systems with no vendor-lock-in, easy-to-use
Most barrel rooms are held steady between roughly 12 and 15 degrees Celsius, which is about 55 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and many producers target the lower end near 13 degrees for long aging. Humidity usually sits around 60 to 70 percent. The exact target depends on the wine, the barrel program, and the producer’s style, but stability matters far more than the precise number. A room that holds a steady setpoint protects the wine better than one that drifts between warm and cold, because temperature swings speed oxidation and put stress on the barrels and the wine inside them.
A building automation system holds that setpoint around the clock and logs it, so you can see and prove the room stayed in range through every season.
Yes, and for most producers it is one of the highest-value places to start. Fermentation gives off significant heat, and if a tank runs too warm the wine can lose delicate aromatics or take on cooked, jammy flavours, so temperature control is part of the winemaking rather than just facility comfort.
Red wines typically ferment warmer, often in the range of 26 to 30 degrees Celsius for colour and tannin extraction, while whites are usually kept cooler, frequently around 18 to 20 degrees to preserve their aromatics. A building automation system monitors each tank, controls its cooling jacket or glycol supply to hold that tank’s individual setpoint, and stages the load so the whole cellar does not spike at once.
If any tank drifts out of range, the system alerts your team automatically, day or night, before the batch is affected.
A winery’s cooling load is heavy, and it often runs hardest when energy is most expensive, so how that load is controlled has a real effect on the bill.
A building automation system stages and schedules chillers and cooling so equipment does not all run flat out at the same time, shifts what it can toward off-peak hours, and stops conditioning spaces that are sitting empty. It also trends energy use so you can see exactly where the power goes and where waste is hiding.
Many producers find these control improvements cut energy costs meaningfully without changing a single piece of equipment and without putting the product at any risk.
Yes. Alpine specializes in retrofitting open-protocol controls into existing wineries, so you can add automation without replacing your tanks, chillers, glycol systems, or conditioning units.
We add sensors and controllers that work with the equipment you already own, connect them onto one platform built on open standards like Niagara 4 and BACnet, and phase the work around your production schedule so it does not interrupt a crush or a bottling run.
Because the system is open, you keep full ownership and can expand it tank by tank or zone by zone as you grow, without being locked into one vendor’s parts or software.
Barrel rooms are generally held around 60 to 70 percent relative humidity. Too dry, and both water and wine evaporate out through the staves, which increases the angel’s share and adds to your topping work, while too damp invites mold on barrels, walls, and labels.
The goal is a steady level, because Ontario’s seasons push cellars dry in winter and damp in summer if nothing corrects for it. A building automation system tracks humidity in real time and coordinates conditioning, along with humidification or dehumidification where needed, to hold the room in range through the whole year, which protects both the wine and the room itself.
Ready to take control over your winery’s HVAC? Schedule an HVAC consultation and our team will be happy to explain how you can save money, keep your facilities running smoothly, and enjoy stress-free and comfortable temperatures year-round with a BAS for your winery.
