CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte became the first urban hotel in the Southeast to offer a permanently-installed Level II charging station for use by guests driving electric vehicles. The new multi-power station is located in the front drive of the LEED Gold-certified property, is complimentary to hotel guests, and supports the hotel’s commitment to environmentally-friendly practices and operations. The launch of the new Ritz-Carlton plug-in charging station was highlighted by the on-site presence of a Li-Ion Motors Inizio all-electric supercar, designed and built in nearby Mooresville, N.C. Li-Ion Motors is also the creator of the all-electric Wave II, which was on...

DALLAS—Lennox has developed a commercial HVAC unit that integrates directly with a solar-energy system. The patent-pending SunSource Commercial Energy System collects energy from the sun, feeds it directly into a solar-ready Energence rooftop unit, and supplies any excess electricity to the rest of the building or to the power grid. Designed to reduce business energy spending and emissions, the SunSource system can effectively double the Energence rooftop unit’s efficiency rating—from 17.0 SEER to an effective efficiency level of 34 SEER and beyond. In certain regions adding additional solar modules can help the rooftop unit achieve net-zero energy status, as the...

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.—Combining craftsmanship and old world styling with the flexibility and performance of modern track lighting, WAC Lighting introduces Cartier LED track luminaires. From the instrument-like engineering and hand finishes to the onyx crystal details, Cartier LED track luminaires have been designed for upscale residential and commercial spaces.  Utilizing state-of-the-art, multi-chip LED technology, this 12-watt luminaire projects a strong amount of light. With models offering a light output up to 625 lumens, Cartier exceeds Energy Star requirements and is a direct replacement for a 50-watt MR16. Cartier was crafted and designed exclusively in the company’s clean manufacturing campus with...

BOSTON—Some 4,000 renewable energy and green building experts will bring their cutting edge thinking—and very strong opinions—to Boston in March for the BuildingEnergy11 Conference and Tradeshow. Now in its 36th year, BuildingEnergy11 (BE11) is organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), and is the oldest and largest regional renewable energy event in the country. On Tuesday, March 8, three workshops at BE11 will highlight different constructs for gauging energy efficiency and environmental impact beyond the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system: Zero Net Energy, Passive House, and The Living Building Challenge. “NESEA believes in the...

BOSTON—CAN2GO, a leading provider of wired and wireless controllers for building automation, is enabling companies to cut up to 40 percent off their building wireless automation installation labor costs with the help of ZigBee networking technology from Ember. CAN2GO controllers, which offer a variety of wired and wireless networking and control options, provide the missing link in building automation, allowing facility managers, contractors and OEM manufacturers to deploy integrated solutions for HVAC, lighting and other applications. Important labor savings are attained when the controllers are networked via self-forming and self-healing wireless mesh networking systems from Ember. A recent project in a...

NEW YORK—Hilton Inn at Penn, a AAA Four Diamond hotel, is nearing the end of a multi-million dollar renovation designed to modernize the property’s 238 guestrooms and suites. The two-phased project, under the creative direction of interior design firm RD Jones & Associates, will update each guestroom with contemporary and sustainable features, including energy-saving technology, WaterSense showerheads and Apple iPads. The renovation is expected to be completed by March 2011. Hilton Inn at Penn maintained its focus on environmental responsibility by integrating sustainable features in the guestrooms that are designed to positively impact the guest experience. Fabrics, wallcoverings and bathroom...

SAN DIEGO—Energy Eye, Inc., an international provider of hotel guestroom energy management controls, announced that it has formed a distribution partnership with the Moroccan company RIO (Reduce, Invent, Optimize). “We are extremely excited to work with RIO,” said Phillip Kopp, COO of Energy Eye. “RIO’s focus on energy efficiency and unparalleled strength in the Moroccan marketplace is well-known throughout the region. Most importantly, their commitment to accreditation—they are certified by both the Moroccan National Agency for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, as well as the Efficiency Valuation Organization—closely matches Energy Eye’s own focus on delivering tested, proven results that...

BOULDER, COLO.—Although the primary purpose of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in commercial buildings is occupant productivity, a new report from Pike Research finds that the objective of most changes to HVAC systems in the next five years will be to decrease energy cost. According to the study, because of rising energy prices and the drive to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with building operations, many building owners have begun to manage energy cost as an asset, rather than a fixed cost. The tools for improving efficiency of HVAC systems include building energy management systems (BEMS), on-site...

ATLANTA—An integrated design approach to building energy modeling—and learning how to use modeling tools more effectively—improves the accuracy and reliability of simulation results and increases the return on time and resources invested to generate the models. ASHRAE’s Energy Modeling Conference: Tools for Designing High Performance Buildings, April 4 to 6, 2011, ASHRAE headquarters, Atlanta, will provide hands-on modelers and principals with the information to better harness the power of energy modeling tools. The conference covers modeling fundamentals, building component contributions, software demonstrations and case studies. A collaborative perspective is provided that demonstrates how energy models and computer simulations can...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Hobart’s new Energy Star qualified CLeR conveyor-type warewasher uses Advansys Energy Recovery technology and Hobart’s patented NSF-Certified Opti-Rinse system to save foodservice operations up to $11,000 annually in energy recovery and water efficiency. The Advansys Energy Recovery technology captures the warewasher’s exhaust heat and uses it to preheat the cold inlet water up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, reducing the energy needed to reach the required 180 degrees Fahrenheit rinse-water temperature. “Hobart’s new CLeR Warewasher adapts Hobart’s unique Advansys Energy Recovery technology, introduced so successfully in the Advansys Ventless door-type warewasher, to the rigorous productivity demands of the high-volume CLe conveyor-type...