Home Energy Management Harrah’s Rincon Uses Solar Energy to Offset Portion of Energy Consumption

Harrah’s Rincon Uses Solar Energy to Offset Portion of Energy Consumption

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VALLEY CENTER, CALIF.—The Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians announced the completion of a 1 Megawatt solar plant that provides enough power to run approximately 90 percent of the Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort’s heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). The plant reduces grid consumption, curtailing enough energy to power about 2,200 homes. The 3,936-panel solar field, which was manufactured and installed by Suntech, will produce enough energy to offset almost a quarter of the casino’s total power consumption. Bo Mazzetti, chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians, said he is grateful for the leadership that the Harrah’s Rincon team and the Rincon Tribal Council have shown in creating a green initiative.

“This is an important step forward in energy efficiency,” Mazzetti said. “It is just the beginning of what we, as a tribe, look to accomplish as responsible members of our community who are addressing the multiple energy and environmental issues that currently face all governments.”

As part of this project, the casino’s HVAC system moved from packaged units to a chilled water unit with heat recovery capability, resulting in an estimated savings of 3.3 million kilowatt-hours per year. The recovered heat is used to heat the water used in the 662 hotel rooms.

Project Took More Than Three Years

“This project has been a 42-month collaboration between the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians, Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort, the California Center for Sustainable Energy, Suntech, TRANE and San Diego Gas & Electric,” said Brendan O’Kane, property operations manager and Green Committee chairman. “It took extraordinary vision for the Rincon Tribal Council to take this leap towards sustainability, and we are excited to be a part of this green project. The solar project mirrors the commitment that Harrah’s has made to create a sustainable future.”

The solar plant and HVAC retrofit are just two of the many green projects that Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort has participated in since starting its conservation and sustainability efforts in 2008. Other projects/accomplishments include:

• More than 10,000 light fixtures were retrofitted with energy efficient lamps in 2008 and 2009, reducing energy demand by 3,318,945 kWh per year—the equivalent of taking 511 cars off the road.

• The 662-room hotel participates in the “set back the stat” program, the “uncool” refrigerator program and a linen exchange program, saving thousands in energy costs and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water each month.

• Employees who drive hybrid vehicles or carpool to work have access to a special “green” parking lot, ensuring front row parking.

• All property PCs are automatically powered down after 10 minutes of non-use.

• Bright green faceplates were installed on light switches in administrative areas, reminding employees to turn off the lights when they leave. Employees who forget are visited by the Energy Hog, a pesky little stuffed animal pig that no one wants to see on their desk, as it lets everyone know that they forgot to turn off their lights.

• On March 27, 2010, Harrah’s Rincon joined with Harrah’s Entertainment for the second year in powering down the property and the world famous Las Vegas Strip for World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour.

Recycling Efforts Pay Off

• Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort participates in a recycling program that diverts, on average, more than seven tons of recyclable materials from landfills every week. A food waste compost program, which was started in 2009, diverts more than five tons of food waste per month from landfills and turns it into reusable compost and mulch.

• Resort staff hold quarterly beach cleanup events which are attended by hundreds of volunteer employees. These employee volunteers are responsible for cleaning up more than eight miles of San Diego’s coastline each year.

• Guests are asked to request their complimentary daily newspaper in an effort to reduce the number of newspapers being wasted.

• A recycling collection center allows employees to drop off items like batteries, computer equipment, cell phones, and other small appliances, and Harrah’s Rincon pays the fee to have them recycled. Since June 2009, the company has collected more than 1,900 items.

• Shipping containers are returned to vendors, where they can be reused and/or recycled. This diverts approximately 150 pallets and containers from landfills every month.

• Assorted furnishings and construction materials are donated to Habitat for Humanity for their San Diego Regional projects.

• The resort launched the “Bring Your Own Cup” program which encouraged employees to bring a reusable cup and helped to reduce the amount of Styrofoam being used in the employee dining room by 25 percent.

“We are excited to be the first casino in Southern California to use a solar plant to produce clean, renewable energy,” said Janet Beronio, senior vice president and general manager at Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort. “Combined with our other green initiatives, Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort is becoming more environmentally sensitive in the operation of our business.”

Go to Harrah’s Rincon.

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