“There should be solar hot water heating on 90 percent of hotels.” “Just do it! This technology has arrived.” These are just two examples of the types of comments I heard when conducting research for my recent article on solar hot water heating (click here for article). To be honest, I did not hear one negative comment about these systems. I cannot say that I spoke with every single hotel user but those I did speak with are all happy with how their rooftop systems are performing. In previous columns I have written about “no brainers,” systems one would be foolish not to invest in—compact fluorescents, LEDs, guestroom energy management systems, ozone laundry systems, etc. A solar hot water heating system is another “no brainer.”
Why does harvesting the sun’s energy to heat water make so much sense? There are many reasons. Most hotels have unused real estate on their roofs—doing absolutely nothing to generate income. Geographical location is not a limitation. The energy and cost savings are significant. Rebates, tax credits and other incentives are common and make the investment very affordable. Return on investment can be less than a year in some situations. In some cases there is no cost at all. There are companies that will install the system and then sell you the energy generated to heat the water at a cost less than you would spend to heat the water solely with natural gas or other fuels. How could a reasonable business person say “no” to that? Especially in this economy?
Dennis Quaintance, CEO and CDO (chief design officer) for Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, the owner and operator of the LEED Platinum Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., says he is “delighted” with the performance of the 100-panel installation on his hotel. Global Hyatt Corp., which owns the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa in Arizona, just installed a 166-panel system on the roof of that property and is planning to add another 212 panels. Hyatt is using the Scottsdale Resort and Spa as a test site, with the idea that it will implement more systems on its other owned properties.
A Perfect Fit for Hotels
Hotels are a natural fit for solar hot water heating systems given the volume of hot water required for guestrooms, the kitchen, laundry, swimming pools, etc. Here are just a few more reasons they are a great idea:
• In addition to saving energy and reducing water heating-related costs, solar thermal systems reduce the strain on boilers, allowing them to last longer.
• The systems help to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of natural gas and oil by using energy produced close to home. They also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately limiting the effect of climate change.
• They become visible symbols for a property to use to attract business from meeting planners and others looking for environmentally responsible practices. (The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa plans to display a portion of a solar panel in its lobby.)
• For any developer pursuing LEED certification, a solar thermal system can provide important points. The Proximity hotel, for example, earned four LEED points for its installation.
• Solar thermal heating systems are five times more efficient at generating energy than solar photovoltaic systems.
If your property has a successful solar hot water heating system and it was not mentioned in this column or in the feature article written about the technology, send an e-mail to editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Also be sure to contact me if you are planning to add a system.
Earth Day Plans?
Earth Day is just two months away (April 22). What is your property currently planning to celebrate that day? Please write to editor@greenlodgingnews.com to let me know. I will be focusing on Earth Day in an upcoming column and will mention those properties and/or companies that have the most interesting activities planned.
Green Lodging News Welcomes Rest Assured MC as Directory Partner
Green Lodging News welcomes Rest Assured as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Rest Assured introduces Bugstop, mattress encasements that offer an effective way to prevent bed bug habitation of mattresses and box springs. Rest Assured is also the provider of dry vapor steam machines that can be used to clean, sanitize and kill bed bugs without using chemicals. Dry steam is pumped at 120 degrees Celsius. Rest Assured also offers a Cryonite system, an environmentally friendly and patented technology that makes use of carbon dioxide to freeze insects to death. The nozzle ejects a carbon dioxide snow of optimum particle size that quickly eliminates insects. E-mail lorne@restassuredmc.com, call (877) 411-0053, or click here for details.
Green Lodging News Adds Caroma Case Study to Website
Green Lodging News has added a new case study to its website. The case study focuses on the Holiday Inn Select near San Antonio airport and how it is saving millions of gallons of water a year thanks to Caroma Sydney 270 elongated toilets. The overall water savings has been impressive. For example, when comparing January to November 2006 versus the same time period in 2008, the Holiday Inn Select saved more than 4.4 million gallons of water, averaging a 31 percent savings each month. To learn more about Caroma toilets, call (800) 605-4218, e-mail info@caromausa.com, or go to www.caromausa.com. Click here to access the case study.
Green Lodging News Advertising
If you are a supplier selling green products, be sure to call me at (440) 243-2055 to discuss your advertising plans for the remainder of 2009. Several premium spots are currently available, including the top banner position on the website. A 2009 media kit is now available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog
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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
