LAKE GENEVA, WIS.—Green Leaf Inn, the first net-zero energy hotel being built in North America, will be sharing their story at the upcoming Greenbuild International Conference and Expo on November 14 to 16, 2012 in San Francisco. The Inn will be a luxury green retreat and demonstration model; a living laboratory and catalog of new technology, products and providers. The project includes both a renovation of the existing cottage with three suites, dining areas, commercial kitchen and laundry, as well as construction of a new building with 16 additional suites, conference room, massage suites and Welcome Center.Set to open...

TUCSON, ARIZ.—The Holiday Inn Express in Tucson Ariz., installed EZ-Efficiency’s BiO-Therm in an effort to reduce energy expenses and minimize their carbon footprint. This successfully reduced natural gas consumption by 42 percent, and decreased laundry drying time by 20 percent.The Holiday Inn Express wanted to reduce energy costs while positively effecting the environment. An extensive product evaluation process ended with the selection of the BiO-Therm. The BiO-Therm is a unique patent pending energy savings add-on to commercial laundry dryers which increases efficiency by leveraging EZ-Efficiency’s “gas stepping” technology.Pilot test results showed a potential for large scale energy savings and...

HOUSTON—Toshiba International Corp. announced the introduction of its new MR16 GU5.3 LED lamp that generates up to 540 lumens. Toshiba’s new MR16 GU5.3 500 series is a direct replacement for 50W halogen lamps. Using only 9.1 watts of energy, Toshiba’s new MR16 provides significant energy savings compared to conventional halogen lamps that use more than five times the wattage for the same lumen output. MR16s are ideal for a variety of applications that require directional light, such as track lighting, recessed ceiling lights, desk lamps and pendant fixtures.“The 50W halogen lamp is a staple lighting professionals frequently specify for...

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C.—Spirax Sarco released the RediHeat instantaneous water heater designed with a unique feed-forward temperature control system to instantly produce hot water within +/-4°F of the set temperature under widely varying demands. This performance makes the Rediheat the ideal solution for hot water applications where tight temperature control and instant response to changes in demand are required. The Rediheat features a spiral tubed helical heat exchanger for efficient heat transfer in a compact space. The rugged casing and bourdon tube configuration allows the entire assembly to expand and contract without localized stressing, ideal for intermittent cycling common with domestic...

WALTHAM, MASS.—American DG Energy Inc., an on-site utility, offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality facilities, announced that it has reached an agreement to provide chilled water to Doral Arrowwood Hotel and Conference Center to cool the property from two 450-ton chillers. The highly efficient cooling systems will be owned and operated by American DG Energy. The chillers are in addition to the 375 kW of combined heat and power (CHP) systems operating at the property since 2011 that are owned and operated by American DG Energy that provide electricity, heat and hot water. Doral Arrowwood,...

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced that Moscone Center has received LEED Gold certification, the first convention center on the West Coast to attain the green building honor. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).“Moscone Center is a vital hub for our convention and tourism economy, and we are very proud to have the first convention center on the West Coast to earn LEED Gold for an existing building,” said Mayor Lee. “This is now our City’s largest municipally-owned green building. Receiving LEED Gold on...

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Excel Dryer, Inc. announced that its XLERATOR high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer is now available with a certified HEPA Filtration System. XLERATOR offers the only certified HEPA filtration system proven to remove 99.97 percent of potentially present bacteria and particulates from the air in the room, and the only one with a washable pre-filter for reliable performance and extended filter life. The HEPA filtration system is now available as an optional XLERATOR feature, or can easily be retrofitted into existing units.“Excel Dryer is the only hand dryer manufacturer that tests and certifies each HEPA filter to ensure it...

ST. JOSEPH, MICH.—Maytag Commercial Laundry has unveiled its new industrial line of soft-mount washer/extractors. Available in 180-, 230- and 275-pound models, the washer/extractors are designed to help industrial launderers meet the most demanding requests for large hotels and linen-service laundry operations. “With our new, larger capacity washer-extractors, we now better meet the industrial commercial laundry market’s needs,” said Bob English, general manager at Maytag Commercial Laundry. “Engineered with the latest technologies, our Maytag soft-mount washers offer dependability, utility savings and a suspension system that allows for easy installation.” The washers’ high-spin speed extractors remove more water, therefore reducing dry time and...

NATIONAL REPORT—Lodging owners are increasingly turning to service companies to handle the cleaning and maintenance of their packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs). Benefits include increased air flow and energy efficiency, improved indoor air quality within the guestroom, elimination of unpleasant odors, fewer breakdowns, the extension of the life of the PTACs by as much as three to five years, cost savings, and peace of mind knowing that the job has indeed been done. A few of the companies that now offer cleaning and maintenance services throughout the United States include Cintas Corp., Dream Green Services, LLC, and Fibercare. These...

DENVER—Walking the halls in the new TownePlace Suites by Marriott at Gateway Park (Denver), you’d be hard pressed to find a difference between these and the corridors in almost any other prototypical TownePlace Suites across the country. To the guest there is no difference. To the owner, there is a huge one. Although just as bright, these corridors contain special fitted LED lighting fixtures. Lights may not seem like a big deal, but these use far less electricity and will make a big impact on the energy that the hotel consumes. Less electricity equals less operating costs, which equals...