Crossing Vineyards adds "green building" - shows what small business can do

Crossing Vineyard, a small, family-owned winery in Bucks County, installed a new energy efficient building on the vineyard grounds on Wrightstown Road.

“We (small businesses) are the engine that makes this country run,” said owner Christine Carroll. “I am so proud of what we have accomplished here. We are a living example of ‘Yes We Can’.”

State and local lawmakers, as well as representatives from Pennsylvania’s departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection, and Community and Economic Development were on hand during the building’s recent dedication.

With the help of State Rep. Steve Santarsiero’s office, Crossing applied for a $25,000 energy efficiency grant through the commonwealth’s Office of Energy Technology Deployment. “The initial cost to install a geothermal HVAC system is extremely high,” said Carroll. “The grant will help to defray the cost.”
The new, 3,000-foot utility building features:

• a high-efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system;

• ability to accommodate the future installation of solar panels;

• a water recharging well that collects and recycles groundwater instead of allowing erosive runoff;

• energy efficient lighting, including timers and sensors. The lights are working only when the building is in use, therefore avoiding waste.

“The new building will allow Crossing to better serve its customers, while conserving natural resources, protecting the environment and reducing the company’s carbon footprint,” said Carroll.
Carroll reports that due to the building’s design, with no windows and super-insulated doors and walls, the first electric bill was only $49.

The award-winning winery, which has been a livelihood and passion for the Carroll family, is located less than a mile from where Washington crossed the Delaware in 1776.

Since the first vines were planted, the Carrolls have employed sustainable agricultural methods and, in 2007, they installed a solar system on the roof of the winery. The winery's goal is to be "off the grid" in five or fewer years.