Bitzer Compressor

In the California heat, cooling HVAC systems of an advanced caliber are a necessary design element, especially in temperature-sensitive structures such as wine cellars and mortuaries. Enter Cold Craft, Inc., an HVACR contractor specializing in projects that have no playbook to work from. The firm has made a name for itself designing and installing precisely what the customer needs, whether it’s a custom-made system or a standard, efficient HVAC unit for a commercial structure, and it’s this kind of versatility that has led to the company’s success. Cold Craft is headquartered close to the premier grape-growing region of Napa Valley. “There are a lot of folks around here that have a keen interest in wine— making it and of course drinking it,” president and founder Kent Penning says. In addition to boasting an abundance of wineries, the area also has many affluent local collectors maintaining impressive cellars in their own homes, and Cold Craft has won bids for HVAC systems in both kinds of spaces. Such projects cannot simply keep the wine cold, however—they must actually maintain a temperature between 55 and 60 degrees to allow the wine to age at the proper pace. Penning and his team therefore have had to craft systems that offer greater cooling power than standard air conditioners but not as much cooling power as actual refrigeration units.