A Guide for Hotels: Boosting Profits with Energy Efficiency & Conservation

Central HVAC System: Heating and Cooling Systems

No building system will have a greater impact on guest comfort than the HVAC system. Hotel guests will simply not tolerate a room that is too cold, too hot or too stuffy. Taking action to upgrade your HVAC system can have the duel impact of cutting energy costs and improving guest comfort.

Hotels employ many different types of HVAC systems - and often have several systems combined in the same facility. Rooftop HVAC units are regularly used in single-zone buildings or areas such as restaurants, conference rooms and other common areas. In small and mid-size hotels, terminal air conditioners are often employed in guest rooms to allow individual control over temperature. In larger facilities, fan coil units allow individual control of air blown over coils heated or cooled by the buildings central boiler or cooling unit.

In general, installing a central air conditioning system over individual room units is preferable. While a central system can be approximately two times more expensive to install, it saves a considerable amount of energy in the long run. Aside from increased efficiency, a central system will allow hotel operators to control the set points of the system and better monitor performance to ensure proper operation at all times.

HVAC Efficiency

Hotel operators can approach HVAC efficiency in a number of different ways. Eventually, you'll want to look at heating, cooling and the air delivery systems in your facilities.

Central Cooling Systems

Several central, water-cooled systems are available. Choosing the right system depends on your location, water costs and electricity costs. A qualified HVAC professional can help you determine how to get the most efficienct system for your needs. Installing variable-frequency drives on chillers, pumps and cooling towers also improves cooling system efficiency. These drives ensure that cooling system power loads are tailored to your hotel's specific needs.

Air Delivery

Having the world's most efficient boiler won't do any good if half your hot or cold air is blowing away through leaky ducts or held up by clogged filters. Thoroughly examine ducts, filters, intakes and all other parts of the air circulation and delivery system. Your in-house maintenance team, or a qualified HVAC technician, can clean and seal this system for maximum performance. Make sure to clean or change filters on terminal units and undertake other recommended upkeep measures. After taking these steps, you will have a much better idea of how your HVAC system is performing and whether or not it is cost effective to upgrade your equipment.

System Management

The most efficient HVAC systems are ones that are used only when needed. Limit unnecessary heating and cooling costs with these simple steps:

  • Instruct housekeeping staff to turn down or turn off heating or cooling when they finish cleaning a room.
  • Plan properly for arriving guests so only those rooms are set for maximum comfort. Determine a “standby” setting for rooms that may be used by walk-in guests; it will only take a few minutes to bring them to a comfortable temperature.
  • Limit the thermostat range available to guests. Guests should not be able to set rooms to below 60ºF in the summer or above 80ºF in the winter. This will prevent the accidental setting of extreme temperatures.

Leading by Example: Marriott Mission Valley

This 350-room hotel took a number of steps to improve HVAC efficiency. Marriott's hotel operators installed variable-frequency drives on their two chillers and on their cooling tower, saving 84,983 kWh per year. The hotel also installed a Hartman Loop, variable-frequency drives on pumps, demand-control ventilation and a retrofit of packaged HVAC units to a chilled water system. These additional upgrades save 629,707 kWh per year and have cut peak demand. San Diego Gas & Electric helped make these upgrades even more profitable with incentives totaling $83,694.

Leading by Example: Motel 6

Motel 6 is participating in Cool Control Plus, Honeywell's program to retrofit small hotels and motels in the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) service territory. Honeywell offers participating hotels free installation of Telkonet SmartEnergy occupancy sensors and thermostats, which turn off air conditioning and heating equipment when guestrooms are vacant. Honeywell estimates that the upgrades will shave electricity consumption by 1,100 kilowatt-hours, and save up to $140 in energy costs, per room each year. Honeywell will install the Telkonet SmartEnergy systems in 7,530 guestrooms at 66 Motel 6 properties in Northern and Central California. Motel 6 has already independently installed Telkonet SmartEnergy systems in nearly 50 of its California properties. Read more...