SAN FRANCISCO—In a landmark decision, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved the “Green Tariff Shared Renewables Program,” a measure that will give millions of California residents and businesses the chance to participate in a utility clean energy program for the first time. The decision, which benefits the majority of the state’s businesses and over 38 million residents, directs the three largest investor-owned utilities—Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Southern California Edison Co., and San Diego Gas and Electric Co., which together cover nearly 80 percent of the state—to offer a Green-e Energy certified 100 percent renewable energy option...

NATIONAL REPORT—Green walls, also known as vertical gardens or living walls, increasingly are being used in interior and exterior areas of hotels to make a green design statement. Aside from being aesthetic symbols of a property’s commitment to sustainability—perhaps even a means to earn LEED credits—green walls offer many other benefits. They can help deaden sound in large spaces, absorb and clean toxins from the air, reduce carbon dioxide levels, keep air temperatures down, improve employee alertness and energy levels, increase humidity, reduce airborne dust levels, and even help increase the property values of commercial buildings. According to Ambius,...

PEARL RIVER, N.Y.—Now in its 64th year, the Good Design Awards, one of the world’s oldest and most recognized programs for identifying design excellence worldwide, announced its 2014 winners. Hunter Douglas, a leader in custom window fashions, received design excellence awards for its Silhouette A Deux window shadings, Solera Soft Shades and the Platinum App for motorized shades. Hunter Douglas was the only window covering manufacturer to be recognized.The award sponsors, The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design in Galena, Ill. and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies in Dublin, Ireland, received submissions from...

REDMOND, WASH.—To help building owners and operators easily manage their heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) energy consumption while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment, Alerton has released an updated version of its Ascent Compass Software. The solution provides users a cleaner, simpler interface that reduces the steps required to optimize building systems and energy efficiency.Introduced in 2014, Compass is a part of the Alerton Ascent building automation suite of products that monitors and controls a host of building systems, including HVAC; lighting; security/access control; fire and life safety; elevators and escalators; and others.Compass 1.2 software features an enhanced navigation tree...

NORTHBROOK, ILL.—UL, a global safety science leader, recently conducted a study to learn where value and return on investment lie in the area of sustainable buildings. The study and its result is available in a free white paper titled, “The Dawn of the Building Performance Era.” The paper wasa written by UL Chief Economist Erin Grossi.In the white paper, Grossi predicts disruption in the building market over the next five to 10 years as owners, operators and investors of buildings increasingly recognize the potential of innovation in building energy consumption, water usage and indoor air quality to positively impact...

WEST CALDWELL, N.J.—Building on its line of flexible outdoor lighting solutions, MaxLite announces a new family of adjustable, installation-friendly LED Wall Packs and the launch of LED Bullet Flood Lights for hotels, resorts and restaurants. DesignLights Consortium-qualified LED Small and Large Adjustable Wall Packs offer significant energy savings over metal halide fixtures and are ideal for lighting outdoor walkways, landscapes, parking areas, schools, hospitals, hotels, offices and other commercial spaces. The fixtures are constructed with chip-on-board LEDs on pivoting heads that aim light precisely, minimizing glare and backlight. The wall packs are designed for quick and easy installation. They feature an...

DENVER—Ice-O-Matic announces the launch of the ICE0856GA and the 50 Hz ICE0855GA series of ice machines, also known as “The Grande Cuber.” The new machines produce a Grande Cube that is more than twice the size of a standard, full-sized cube. The complete line of Grande Cubers will be on display at The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers Show (NAFEM) from February 19 through February 21 at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center. “As consumers become more knowledgeable about cocktailing, they’re demanding superior quality in every ingredient that goes into their glass—especially the ice,” said Ice-O-Matic Executive Vice...

MILWAUKEE, WIS.—Telkonet, Inc., whose complementary business divisions include EcoSmart, a leading energy management technology platform featuring Recovery Time technology, and EthoStream, one of the largest hospitality high-speed Internet access providers, announced that its EcoSmart Solution was selected as the winner of the Holiday Inn Express Stay Smart Business Challenge at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.With nearly 2,300 properties, Holiday Inn Express is one of the fastest growing hotel brands in the world. Looking for an innovative partner to deliver a breakthrough solution to address and ultimately deliver the best night’s sleep for guests staying in any...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., in partnership with NRG Energy, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary NRG Renew, unveiled its first project to integrate clean sustainable energy at The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection resort. Featuring approximately 2,000 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, the 568 kilowatt (kWdc) solar installation will offset a portion of The Phoenician resort’s energy demand—an amount equivalent to the energy needs of approximately 90 homes.Core to the project was the design-driven approach—from panel placements, which work with the terrain to create airflow, to the structure’s accent colors that blend into the natural surroundings. In addition to...

ATLANTA—The Westin Buckhead Atlanta has implemented an INNCOM Energy Management System as part of a comprehensive strategy to support its Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ “30/20 by 20” environmental initiatives. The 358-room property installed e4 Smart Digital Thermostats with the patented ecoMODE feature, INNcontrol 3 Central Room Management software, and a full INNCOM property management system interface. “The goal of Starwood’s “30/20 by 20” program is to reduce energy use by 30 percent and cut water consumption by 20 percent by 2020 at every property,” said Robert Attaway, Director of Engineering for The Westin Buckhead Atlanta. “We implemented INNCOM’s guestroom...