VENICE, CALIF.—Enovative Kontrol Systems recently launched D’MAND CIRC recirculation pump controllers that optimize central water heating systems for multi-tenant buildings. To improve the delivery of hot water, D’MAND CIRC operates on an as needed basis, minimizing radiant heat loss and pump run times. This greatly enhances the overall efficiency of water heating systems for hotels, and lowers natural gas consumption as well as heating costs by up to 30 percent. The installation of D’MAND CIRC can also assist in a building’s LEED certification. “We’ve incorporated D’MAND CIRC into all of our buildings and immediately saw a significant energy savings reflected...

ST. LOUIS—Michael Jantzen, an artist strongly influenced by nature and technology, who has been producing conceptual art and architectural projects for almost 40 years, has released his latest hotel design—The Solar Winds Desert Hotel. An idea still in need of a developer, the hotel design, according to Jantzen, evolved from his thoughts about desert plants and how they function in a hot dry climate. The 140-room luxury eco-hotel, vertically cylindrical in design, would be powered by the sun and the wind. The “stem” of the hotel would house the hotel rooms, a vertical axis wind turbine would sit atop...

WALTHAM, MASS.—American DG Energy Inc., a leading on site utility offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality facilities, is now operating a combined heat and power (CHP) system at the Doubletree Guest Suites Boston, an all-suite hotel. Revenue from the project is estimated at $1.3 million over the 15-year agreement. In December 2010, American DG Energy began producing clean energy in the form of space heat and domestic hot water at the Doubletree Hotel. The energy is produced with a 75 kW combined heat and power system, located at the hotel but owned and operated by...

NIANTIC, CONN.—INNCOM International Inc., a leader in advanced guestroom automation systems for hotels and resorts, addressed several hundred delegates at the China Cleantech Industry Investment Summit in Beijing to promote its “cleantech” energy strategy in China designed to reduce coal consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by millions of metric tons. With offices in Hong Kong and India, the company’s Asian customer base is growing. INNCOM’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region and become part of the overall green solution for China. “INNCOM is still a relatively small corporation, and yet our presently installed systems are saving...

STAMFORD, CONN.—eco Hybrid Solar, LLC, a Stamford, Conn.-based solar energy firm, announced that their brand new Hybrid Solar Water Heating System is now available. Three years in the works, the proprietary hybrid system is unique in that it combines the use of two technologies for water heating, providing greater cost savings to users. “Solar hot water heating systems have been around for 50 years,” says company owner Gordon Whelan. “The difference with ours is that it’s the only system to maximize the efficiency of existing technologies by integrating solar thermal and recycled waste heat from refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment into...

MONTEREY, CALIF.—Setting the bar for environmentally-conscious hotels in Central California, Portola Hotel & Spa, located in the heart of Monterey, was recently granted its Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Portola Hotel & Spa becomes one of only three hotels in all of California and one of only six hotels in the United States to earn this level of accreditation in the Existing Building (EB) category. As an independent hotel brand, and an existing building, Portola Hotel & Spa achieved this certification as a result of a longstanding commitment by...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The appliance industry through the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) recently launched an independent verification program to confirm refrigerator and freezer internal volume and energy usage claims made by manufacturers and brand owners. This voluntary program is aimed at boosting the confidence of consumers, retailers and regulators in the validity of energy claims made by manufacturers of refrigerators and freezers sold in the United States and Canada.AHAM’s Refrigerator, Refrigerator-Freezer and Freezer Verification Program will also assist the Energy Star program, managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in approval and monitoring of qualified appliances and the...

DALLAS—An interactive dashboard that integrates in-room electronic systems and status including occupancy, locks, safes, lighting, energy management and more, allows hotel properties to manage subsystems remotely over the hotel LAN or Web-based connection. This software-based system, Integrated Room Control Dashboard, is an integral part of Orion by VingCard Elsafe, the new intelligent energy management solution from VingCard Elsafe. The energy management system was designed to automatically control temperature settings as guests travel in and out of their rooms, thereby reducing energy costs while ensuring guest comfort. As it integrates with a hotel’s wireless online locks, safes, lights and other networked...

KELLER, TEXAS—Hotel Rescue announced that it has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program as an Energy Star Partner and will be able to expand its energy services by verifying almost immediately whether a hotel or commercial property qualifies for an Energy Star rating, measuring and tracking the energy performance of a property’s facilities, developing a plan with the both the client and Energy Star to achieve a property’s level of desired energy savings, assisting clients in spreading their green message and getting their properties listed on the official Energy Star property list, and supporting the Energy...

BALTIMORE—SavWatt USA, Inc. announced that it will sell LED T-8 fluorescent tube replacements. SavWatt’s 16 Watt , 4 foot, T-8 LED tube will replace a typical 40 watt fluorescent tube (includes ballast), providing immediate energy savings of 60 percent, which does not include savings for service and replacement costs. Based on an average energy cost of 15 cents per kilowatt, the tube will have a 24 month payback. SavWatt LED tubes consume low power. Power efficiency reaches 90 percent, with energy savings of 60 percent compared with traditional fluorescent tubes. Tubes contain no ultraviolet, infrared ray radiation, mercury or heat...