CINCINNATI—Cintas Corp. launched a nationwide air-conditioning (A/C) coil cleaning service called ChemTron Coil Cleaning by Cintas. The service enables hoteliers to lower energy bills, extend the life of air-conditioning units and improve indoor air quality, resulting in higher guest satisfaction scores.  “Air-conditioning units that are not properly maintained can lead to high energy bills, premature unit failure, odors, allergies and other health issues,” said Fred Wehby, senior director of Deep Clean Services, Cintas. “ChemTron Coil Cleaning by Cintas ensures that all units are properly cleaned to run at maximum efficiency. On average, hotel owners using the service achieve a 28...

WILMINGTON, N.C.—Efficient Energy America (E2America), a leading supplier of building optimization technology, announced that the company has expanded its operations to Colorado, with a primary focus on improving energy efficiency in restaurants. Already installed in McDonalds, Bojangles, Taco Bell and Golden Corral franchises across the United States, E2America’s automated, self-refining, wireless, retrofit building control systems go far beyond traditional energy management technology to reduce electricity costs, usage and carbon emissions for commercial enterprises. The addition of a dedicated sales team in Colorado provides support to further increase the rapid acceptance of the company’s technology. With many restaurants and other commercial...

NATIONAL REPORT—If you are reading this article, it can be assumed that you either own or operate a heated swimming pool. If so, you probably would like to reduce your pool heating costs and save money. Beyond turning down the pool’s thermostat and keeping the pool covered, your options are limited. The purpose of this article is to explore those options. Businesses such as hotels, motels, resorts and water parks have no choice but to keep their pools at a comfortable temperature. Fossil fuel prices fluctuate significantly and are expected to rise over the next decade. Commercial pools are perfect...

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y.—USAI Lighting has expanded its BeveLED portfolio of LED (light emitting diode) downlight, adjustable and wall wash fixtures. A promising innovation for the future of LED technology and solid state lighting, the award-winning BeveLED family is the most recent addition to the lighting manufacturer’s flagship Bevel product line. “With a complete line of LED fixtures, we hope to provide our customers with high-performance quality and sustainable lighting, offering designers the flexibility and compatibility features needed to adapt to the strictest standards of the evolving LED lighting industry,” said Bonnie Littman, president of USAI Lighting. “We aim to further...

COOPERSBURG, PA.—Energy-saving lighting control manufacturer Lutron Electronics announces enhanced Quantum system functionality enabling real-time energy metering of building loads. Lutron’s Quantum Total Light Management maximizes the efficient use of light to improve comfort and productivity, simplify operations and save energy. This system dims or switches all electric lighting and simultaneously controls daylight using automated shades. Quantum easily integrates with building management systems. Quantum systems have always incorporated energy-use calculation software to help evaluate and monitor overall lighting energy use. Now, with new Quantum Energy Metering, the system can also provide real-time energy measurement and verification including high-accuracy metering of lighting, HVAC...

PALO ALTO, CALIF.—Southwall Technologies Inc. and Pleotint LLC announced the world’s first installation of high-performance insulating glass that combines Southwall’s Heat Mirror suspended-film technology with Pleotint’s Sunlight Responsive Thermochromic (SRT) technology. The complementary technologies combine to deliver increased energy savings by reducing solar heat gain and glare during peak electrical usage hours, providing optimal daylighting during non-peak hours, while delivering maximum thermal insulation 24 hours a day. The product was manufactured by Southwall Insulating Glass and installed at Pleotint’s corporate headquarters in West Olive, Mich. The combined solution provides superior center of glass insulating performance of 0.13 (R8) with Argon...

ATLANTA—Acuity Brands, Inc., a provider of energy-efficient lighting, controls and daylighting solutions, has expanded its Sunoptics high-performance prismatic daylighting portfolio with the introduction of the SEAMLIGHT Curbless Daylighting System. The SEAMLIGHT System is designed for direct installation onto existing industrial standing seam roofing systems, creating new opportunities for the implementation of daylighting solutions. The Sunoptics high-performance prismatic skylights optimize indoor daylighting performance via a patented dome construction designed to capture more light at low sun angles, which maximizes the amount of light transmittance, while maintaining 100 percent diffusion and eliminating undesirable hot spots, glare and UV damage. Utilizing the same...

HONOLULU—AeroVironment announced that it has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the Marriott Waikiki to serve hotel guests and respond to increased demand for sustainable practices in the tourism and hospitality industries. The new chargers are part of Hawaii’s growing charging infrastructure. In March of this year AeroVironment was selected to help lead the way to a cleaner transportation future through an $820,000 contract from the Hawaii EV Ready Grants Program. According to a recent study by TripAdvisor, eco-friendliness is an important consideration for travelers and the U.S. hospitality industry. In the travel website’s annual survey of more than...

PALM BAY, FLA.—Car Charging Group Inc., a provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging services, announced that it has signed a contract with Laxmi Inc. of Palm Bay, Fla., owner of the Comfort Suites in Palm Bay, to provide electric car charging services at its hotel. “We’re pleased to announce our partnership with Laxmi Inc. of Palm Bay,” said Michael D. Farkas, chief executive officer of Car Charging Group. “Earlier this year, President Obama challenged the country to put one million EVs on the road by 2015. However, without a proper EV charging infrastructure this goal is not attainable. Through partnerships...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Verve Living Systems, developers of wireless, battery-less control products, will be exhibiting a new line of energy-saving automation products during Greenbuild 2012. Greenbuild will be held in Toronto October 4 to 7. The new Verve product portfolio uses highly efficient radio frequency technology in an attractively designed family of sensors and control devices that enable significant energy savings without compromising comfort. The Verve product line consists of four primary categories of product: Occupancy Detection, HVAC Control, Lighting and Load Control, and User Interfaces. Verve sensors determine the occupancy state of a room, and communicate wirelessly with other Verve devices...