VERNON HILLS, ILL.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Scotsman Ice Systems as a 2012 Energy Star Partner of the Year—Product Manufacturer for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and helping to educate consumers about those products. Scotsman’s accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2012, which marks the 20th anniversary of the Energy Star Partner program. Scotsman will be honored for its leadership in manufacturing products that earn the Energy Star Partner, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency. Scotsman offers more than 65 Energy Star...

TROY, OHIO—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded ITW Food Equipment Group–North America (ITW FEG) a 2012 Energy Star Sustained Excellence award in recognition of its continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency. A manufacturer of commercial food equipment, ITW FEG’s accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 15, which marks the 20th anniversary of Energy Star. ITW FEG, an Energy Star partner since 2008, will be honored for its long-term leadership and continued efforts in helping to make foodservice and grocery operations more energy efficient, sustainable and profitable. Hobart, Traulsen,...

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The Green Hotel Pilot Program, funded by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), was created in order to engage New York State’s lodging properties and understand key environmental challenges affecting this industry. The goal of the program was to assist lodging properties in reducing their environmental footprint while saving operating costs as well as increase revenue by attracting environmentally conscious tourists. In addition, those participating in the certification process would have the opportunity to increase the number of certified green hotels in New York and be featured in green tourism marketing.In the spring of 2009 in...

WEST CALDWELL, N.J.—MaxLite has introduced a variety of accessories including a PhotoCell, an Emergency Battery Backup and Wire Guards in its MaxLED family of LED lamps and fixtures for hotels, restaurants and resorts. MaxLite is a global manufacturer and marketer of MaxLED, a line of LED luminaires and lamps using LED technology. The new Wire Guards can be used with all MaxLED standard Wallpacks. Constructed with welded continuous wire, the Wire Guards protect and guard the high-quality shatter-resistant glass lens inside the fixture. The 2.8 mm wire, polyester powder coated in standard black, easily attaches to the wallpack’s housing...

COOLIDGE, GA.—Hurst Boiler & Welding Co., Inc., a leading manufacturer of energy-efficient boilers and boiler room solutions, announces the launch of its newly enhanced corporate website. HurstBoiler.com has always served as a destination for comprehensive information related to boilers, boiler systems, integrated controls, manufacturing, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The new site includes richer product pages that can be easily accessed by application or need. “Our new website reflects the company’s leadership position in the boiler room marketplace,” said Jeff Hurst, v.p. of sales and marketing at Hurst Boiler. “We have raised our own bar by providing interactive tools and...

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO.—The Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Steamboat’s only full-service luxury ski-in/ski-out resort and conference center, announced that its Green Team has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives to help make the resort as eco-friendly as possible.The Sheraton Steamboat has partnered with Clean the World, a charitable organization that recycles discarded hotel soap and bottled shampoo products, sending them to communities in need worldwide to help prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses. Since the partnership began in June 2011, the Sheraton Steamboat has recycled 691 pounds of bottled amenities and 504 pounds of soap, which have been used to...

ATLANTA—Acuity Brands, Inc., a maker of energy-efficient lighting and control solutions, has expanded its LED indoor ambient lighting portfolio with the launch of the Z Series LED striplight by Lithonia Lighting. The Z Series luminaires are compact, low-profile solid-state strips that deliver long maintenance-free performance in a wide range of retrofit and new construction applications, including uplight and downlight in commercial, retail, manufacturing, warehouse, cove and display.The Z Series luminaires are available in both T5 and T8 lengths, and may be surface-mounted or suspended with chain, aircraft cable or stem. The Z Series luminaires are available in white, galvanized,...

MORTON GROVE, ILL.—In response to the growing industry requirement for low water cut-off valves, McDonnell & Miller has introduced its new RBT-3000 Low Water Cut-Off & Fuel Economizer. This new generation of boiler control technology is designed to maximize fuel efficiency and provide valuable low water cut-off protection for hydronic heating systems. The intelligent controls built into the RBT-3000 bring advanced microprocessor technology to virtually any existing boiler, automatically adjusting water temperature based on heat load and without the need for an outdoor sensor.The energy management system used in the RBT-3000 reduces fuel/electricity consumption by 10 percent to 20 percent,...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.—The Wyndham Philadelphia-Mount Laurel is just a few weeks away from going “live” with its 756-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system on 10 carports in the hotel’s parking area. The carports cover 70 percent of the 400-vehicle parking space and were constructed—along with the solar panels—as part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The PPA was signed by the owners of the Wyndham hotel with US Solargy, Inc. US Solargy secured the financing for the system. US Solargy then placed the PPA with SolarMax Technology which financed and developed it. The owners of the hotel incurred no upfront...

PALATINE, ILL.—Investments in energy efficiency initiatives in four- and five-star U.S. hotels are impacted by concerns from hoteliers about building automation and control systems around initial costs and the perception that energy management systems will result in a negative guest experience, according to a recent survey by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Harrah Hotel College and Cannon Survey Center. The study was commissioned by Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management.The independent survey of approximately 100 C-level hotel executives, general managers and lead facility engineers sought to understand the current level of awareness around energy management...