Client & Project Overview

Irish Distillers Limited (IDL) operates the Midleton Distillery, one of the most energy-intensive distilling facilities in Ireland due to the scale and thermal demands of its production processes. As part of the site’s wider sustainability and energy-efficiency strategy, IDL sought to explore opportunities to reduce fuel consumption within the brewhouse by recovering and reusing available waste heat elsewhere on site.
PEMCAS was engaged to work with the Midleton site team to investigate whether sources of high-grade heat within the existing Garden Still House could be captured and reused for brewhouse pre-heating. The project focused on identifying realistic and implementable opportunities that would deliver genuine energy, cost, and carbon reductions, rather than theoretical improvements.
A key requirement of the study was that any proposed solution had to align with existing plant operation and long-term sustainability goals, without introducing unnecessary process complexity or operational risk. The brief therefore centred on careful analysis, practical engineering judgement, and clarity of recommendations.
PEMCAS undertook a detailed review of equipment connected to the cooling water systems within the Garden Still House, assessing both the actual and theoretical heat available. This information was used to evaluate how recovered heat could be applied within the brewhouse process in a controlled and efficient manner.
The findings were captured in a structured report that clearly set out the available opportunities, expected benefits, and key considerations for progressing to detailed design and delivery. This report provided IDL with a solid technical basis for decision-making and future investment planning.

Key Insights

Effective energy reduction projects start with understanding what is genuinely available on site and how it can be reused sensibly. This study showed that targeted thermal investigation, focused on real process conditions rather than assumptions, is critical to identifying viable opportunities.
By linking recovered heat directly to a defined brewhouse demand, PEMCAS was able to demonstrate a clear pathway from concept to implementation, with tangible cost and carbon savings. The outcome supports IDL’s long-term sustainability objectives and provides a practical foundation for progressing detailed engineering design and construction when required.