Mr. Kiesner

Eco-Friendly Practices

Ten Quick Ways to Improve Your Hotel's Energy Efficiency

By Steve Kiesner, Director of National Accounts, Edison Electric Institute

With the cost of all energy supplies rising, the nation's electric power industry is committed to ensuring that electricity, one of our most versatile energy sources, remains affordable and reliable. We are investing in the nation's electricity system today. We are advocating public policy positions to ensure that the supply of electricity can meet the country's ever-growing demand tomorrow. And we are encouraging our customers, particularly the nation's hotel industry, to use their electricity wisely. With electricity demand expected to increase 30 percent over the next 20 years, these supply and demand measures are the best long-term solutions for our energy future.

In the short term, using natural gas and electricity more efficiently is vital. For the lodging industry, energy conservation is a well-recognized element in lowering costs. On average, America's 47,000 hotels spend $2,196 per available room each year on energy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This represents about six percent of all operating costs. Through a strategic approach to energy efficiency, a 10 percent reduction in energy consumption would have the same financial effect as increasing the average daily room rate by $0.62 in limited-service hotels and by $1.35 in full-service hotels.

There are also a number of quick and easy steps your company can take right now to step up its control over energy use. These are probably already second nature to you, but here are 10 no- or low-cost ideas to start saving energy today:

• Get the housekeeping staff on board. Little things they can do in each room-resetting thermostats, opening drapes on sunny days this winter, reporting water leaks, and turning off lights-can really add up.
• Lower the water temperature setting-for hand washing and showering, 110 degrees is the recommended setting.
• Set thermostats to 68 degrees in offices and public areas during occupied hours, and lower during unoccupied hours. For each degree you raise the temperature in the summer and lower it in the winter you can save 2-3 percent on cooling and heating costs for those areas.
• When replacing beverage and snack vending machines, choose energy-efficient machines, which can cut electricity use by up to 50 percent.
• Turn off unneeded lights in offices and public areas.
• Have your heating, water heating, icemakers, laundry, and refrigeration equipment periodically serviced and adjusted as needed.
• Check automatic controls for proper working condition and settings.
• Keep loading dock doors closed when the loading dock is not in use.
• Change out "EXIT" signs to ones that use light emitting diodes (LEDs). These use about two watts or less, compared to up to 40 watts for an incandescent EXIT sign.
• When your fluorescent lamps start to flicker, replace the old T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts with energy-efficient T8 fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts-you'll lower your lighting energy use by up to 25 percent. For more ideas, contact your electric utility. Your electric utility will likely have historical data about your energy use. Utility representatives can also help you with answers about their efficiency and demand response incentive programs, discount electricity rates, energy-efficient equipment, or any other energy-related question.

Electric companies typically offer free advice on using energy wisely, and many offer no- or low-cost programs that can help hotels take control over their energy use. These programs will have an impact on natural gas, as well as electricity use.

Some sample electric utility energy management programs include:

• Energy-efficiency incentives-these are offered to encourage electric utility customers to purchase or replace their energy-using equipment with more energy-efficient models. Incentives are often offered on lighting, air conditioning, refrigeration, agricultural equipment, water heating systems, and motors.
• Training courses-these supply the latest information on energy-saving technology and design applications.
• Demand-management programs-these pay large commercial and industrial customers to cut back on their power use during peak periods or to shift what power use they can to non-peak periods. For a list of electric utility energy assistance programs around the country, use this link:

http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/retail_services_and_delivery/wise_energy_use/programs_and_incentives/progs.pdf

For the longer term, it is a good idea to have your company renew its commitment to energy management. If you have not done it already, start by building a team within the company or within each hotel. Generally, you will need representatives from management or administration. Top-level commitment is paramount. Pull the team together for a planning session and start laying the groundwork. The team will need to define success with goals that are realistic.

Is saying you want to save 20 percent over two years possible? What is the base you will measure against? How and when will you measure progress? Before you begin making capital improvements to save energy, understand which appliances are your big energy users. Water heating alone, for example, can account for almost 40 percent of a hotel's total energy cost-and up to two thirds of its natural gas use. Listed below are the areas and the appliances that will affect your energy bills this winter. A small improvement in these places will make a large impact on the bottom line.

• Building Envelope - The envelope-everything that separates the inside from the outside, the roof, windows, entryways, insulation-has a major influence on the heating and air conditioning system. When the building limits heat losses and gains, the building will require less energy.
• Water Heaters - Lower temperature settings, fix hot water leaks, and use heat recovery systems.
• Laundry - Washing linen at a lower temperature and more air-drying can both save money. So can investing in high-efficiency units that use less energy and water.
• Heating/ventilation/air conditioning - Improving efficiency through maintenance and tune-ups can return savings of up to 30 percent or more.
• Lighting - This is usually the largest electricity user and should be the first place to look for savings. Many facilities report savings of 20 to 50 percent through the use of timers, dimmers, keeping fixtures clean, and turning off lights when not needed.
• Refrigeration - Savings come from operating the equipment in an efficient manner, and in carefully evaluating a manufacturer's stated energy efficiency and estimated operating costs before purchasing equipment.
• Food Preparation - Like water heating, food prep can use less energy through more efficient use and through proper equipment selection. If your company is planning to build or is building a new facility, I encourage you to learn more about the high tech advances in equipment and building design. Incorporating energy- and resource-efficient technologies from the start of a building project can return energy savings of up to 50 percent compared to traditional hotel designs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. There are many resources to guide and even reward you.

One source for more information on improving your company's efficiency is the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The Council's LEED program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. For more information on LEED, please visit the Green Building Council's Web site - www.usgbc.org

Another resource for you is the EPA's ENERGY STAR program. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program that gives businesses and institutions information, tools, and other assistance to improve their energy efficiency. According to EPA, reducing energy use by just 10 percent across the hospitality industry would save $285 million. By partnering with ENERGY STAR, your organization can also get the recognition it deserves through a variety of promotional opportunities with EPA. This will help you highlight your company's energy-saving achievements within the organization and to the public. For more information on ENERGY STAR, please visit: www.energystar.gov With these goals in mind and your team in place, you are now ready to begin. As you move forward, I encourage you to remember that saving energy will be long-term project. But it is a mission that will pay off in greater protection for the environment, higher satisfaction for your guests and employees, and of course, more dollars for your bottom line.

Steve Kiesner is Director of the Edison Electric Institute’s National Accounts Program. Based in Washington, D.C., Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of United States shareholder-owned electric companies, international affiliates and industry associates worldwide. Our U.S. members serve approximately 90 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and nearly 70 percent of all electric utility ultimate customers in the nation. They generated almost 70 percent of the electricity generated by U.S. electric utilities. Mr. Kiesner can be contacted at 202-508-5000 or skiesner@eei.org Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.