A Guide for Hotels: Boosting Profits with Energy Efficiency & Conservation
Pools, Spas, Office Equipment and More
After a thorough energy audit, you may find that your hotel can save significantly on energy costs in these less obvious places. Seemingly small power uses can quickly add up and should not be overlooked during efficiency retrofits.
Pools and hot tubs consume a considerable amount of energy, especially outdoor pools heated in a cool climate. You can prevent constant heat loss to the surrounding air by installing a thermal pool and/or spa cover when facilities are not in use. Check the water temperature regularly to ensure that heaters are operating properly and to avoid over-heating your pool. Consider replacing older, inefficient units and/or installing a solar pool heating system to reduce the amount of electricity used to heat water in cooler climates.
Laundry services in a hotel can use huge amounts of energy. With many loads of sheets and towels to be washed daily, you'll find numerous opportunities to increase efficiency in the laundry room. For smaller hotels that rely on traditional commercial machines, the best bet may be an upgrade to ENERGY STAR qualified washers and dryers. Energy-efficient washers reduce consumption by cutting water use and the corresponding energy to heat it, increasing water extraction in the spin cycle for quicker drying and improved efficiency of motors and pumps. Modern dryers can cut energy use by employing moisture sensors and increasing airflow to reduce the amount of heat needed.
In larger facilities, you'll find more opportunities to cut energy use and costs. While larger facilities can also benefit from modern high-efficiency machines, they have several other innovative options. Ozone laundry systems inject ozone into the cleaning process, allowing for a high-quality result with less hot water and less cleaning chemicals. In a large hotel these systems can pay for themselves in as little as two years.
Heat recovery systems are another way of reducing energy use in large hotel laundry operations. By utilizing an air-to-air heat exchanger in the dryers, these systems allow incoming air to be heated by the dryer exhaust. By capturing waste heat, these systems minimize the amount of energy needed to heat the dryers by up to 50%. Talk to your commercial laundry service provider about creative energy-saving options.
Vending machines consume energy through 24/7 lighting and refrigeration. Install controls that use infrared sensors to reduce the lighting of machines - and, thus, the energy consumption - of vending machines when nearby foot traffic is low. Modern vending machines also have improved insulation and higher efficiency cooling units to reduce energy costs. Since many machines are owned by vending companies, you may need to seek their help in making efficiency upgrades.
Saunas, exercise rooms and other infrequently used facilities can benefit from motion sensors to shut off lights, HVAC and equipment during periods of inactivity.
Remote-cooled ice machines improve efficiency because the heat generated can be discharged outside during summer months or captured and recycled by heat recovery systems in the colder months. Make sure the cooling units of ice machines are cleaned regularly to maintain optimal efficiency, or consider a self-cleaning model to reduce maintenance costs.
Office equipment is widespread in hotels large and small and represents yet another opportunity to cut energy use without diminishing the guest experience. Consider changing your computer monitors to flat-panel LCD units, which use as much as 90% less energy than traditional monitors. Make sure to enable the power management on all computers so they use less energy when idling. Many copiers, printers and other equipment can also be set to "sleep" when not in use. If your equipment does not have this feature, consider upgrading or simply turning off units that are not in use. When upgrading any office equipment, look for models that are ENERGY STAR qualified to ensure efficiency.