SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—WattStopper has launched two Digital Lighting Management control devices that offer design professionals cost effective solutions for managing energy efficient lighting controls in partitioned spaces. Adding just one device to spaces including ballrooms, meeting rooms or training rooms with movable walls enables efficient manual or automatic response when the space is reconfigured.The LMPS-104 Digital Partition Switch is a decorator-style wall switch with four buttons that represent the movable partition walls. To recall the correct control configuration for the space, users simply press a combination of buttons to mimic the space configuration. The switch has removable buttons that...

WESTFIELD, MASS.—Leading HVAC systems supplier SpacePak has announced the introduction of AirCell, a new hydronic distribution system for commercial and residential applications. AirCell is a modular, compact, high-efficiency air-distribution module that allows refrigerants to remain outside of the building and uses 30 percent less energy than traditional fan-based HVAC systems. Hydronic technology, the most efficient way to transfer energy for both heating and cooling, offers an environmentally friendly system that uses up to 30 percent less electricity in a single unit configuration, and uses one-third less refrigerant than traditional DX systems. AirCell works in conjunction with any hydronic supply...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International and NRG Energy, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary NRG Solar, announced the planned installation of one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic arrays in the world at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center in Las Vegas. The 6.2-megawatt installation will be MGM Resorts’ first commercial solar project in the United States and will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,000 homes.The announcement was made at a news conference in Las Vegas featuring U.S. Senator Harry Reid and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell in advance of the National Clean Energy Summit 6.0...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Verdafero Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. MyVerdafero—Utility Optimization Software Suite is an easy-to-use cloud-based software platform to help hotels/motels save money. Specifically designed for the hospitality industry, the software suite helps identify saving opportunities and alerts one to problem areas within a single property or across multiple properties and multiple utilities (electric, gas, water usage, waste streams and CO2) within a portfolio. As part of the software, Verdafero now offers the new Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) carbon calculator for easy, real-time and...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—The industry’s first extensive, independently conducted study to determine the ability of cold-water ozone laundering to extend the useful life of linens—a major expenditure among hospitality, healthcare and numerous other institutions—reveals a resounding advantage versus traditional hot-water methods.California-based ClearWater Tech LLC recently released the results of a six-month study conducted by North Carolina State University’s Physical Testing Laboratory—College of Textiles. Dr. Jan Ballard, extension specialist and supervisor of the Physical Testing Laboratory, directed study procedures.Testing utilized EcoTex ozone technology and its application format in comparisons with traditional laundering of pillowcases and terry towels. EcoLab supplied chemicals...

BOSTON—Owners of several Boston hotels are wisely investing in heat recovery systems to eliminate the inefficiencies inherent in the steam systems they use to heat their buildings. The result of their investments is annual savings of tens of thousands of dollars in energy, water and sewer costs, and a reduced carbon footprint. According to Alex Alexandrovich, president of Baker Engineering & Controls, Inc., Needham, Mass., commercial buildings—including hotels—in at least 17 U.S. cities and one in Canada receive steam from an outside provider to heat buildings. Condensate generated from the steam that is 212 degrees (F) must first be...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, has achieved an 8 percent reduction in energy use in the first full year of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Challenge. The government program, launched in 2011 by President Obama, calls on commercial businesses and industrial facilities to reduce their energy intensity by 20 percent by 2020. This program aligns with the company’s goals to reduce carbon emissions by 16 percent by 2017 and by 20 percent by 2020. Additionally as of 2012, Wyndham Worldwide has reduced its global footprint in over 40 countries of its...

CORNING, N.Y.—Corning Inc. and View Inc. announced a strategic development agreement to leverage their combined capabilities to advance View’s dynamic glass. Corning is leading a financial investment in View as part of a Series E round of funding to support the development of dynamic glass technologies for exterior architectural applications. Dr. Jeffrey W. Evenson, Corning’s senior vice president and operations chief of staff, will serve on View’s board of directors.Representing a major innovation in architectural windows, View Dynamic Glass intelligently regulates the amount of heat and glare that enters a building. Dynamic glass automatically transitions between clear and variable...

MINNEAPOLIS—DISH has introduced a flexible satellite television platform targeted at hotels and hospitality operations that improves the in-room entertainment experience for guests and reduces total cost of ownership for operators through lower power consumption. DISH is demonstrating its SMARTbox solution at the HITEC 2013 conference in Minneapolis.Most hotel solutions use modified residential receivers—since hotel owners face different challenges than residential customers. SMARTbox was designed as an enterprise-grade solution with the following features: •    Scales to provide 36 to 96 channel lineup in HD and SD, an improvement over the industry standard of 12 to 24 HD channels;•    One unit will...

TAMPA, FLA.—The waterfront Tampa Convention Center (TCC) in downtown Tampa, Fla., has been approved as an Energy Star Partner. Joining more than 15,000 organizations that have partnered with Energy Star, TCC is dedicated to improving and promoting energy efficiency within the four-level, 600,000-square-foot convention center. The center is ranked in the 84th percentile of efficiency when compared to other buildings of similar size and type of operation.“The Energy Star partnership is a result of our ongoing commitment to the environment,” said Eric Blanc, CMP, director of sales, marketing, and convention services at Tampa Convention Center. “Our team has initiated...