WASHINGTON, D.C.—In one respect, this year has been a good one for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Energy Star for Hospitality and Entertainment program. In another respect, the year has not been so impressive. According to the EPA’s most recent report on Energy Star hotel benchmarking activity, as of July 2010 there were 5,262 hotels using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark their energy performance. That is up from 3,123 buildings in 2007, 3,685 buildings in 2008, and 4,920 in 2009. Participating hotels are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and...

TROY, OHIO—Product innovations from Hobart, Traulsen and Baxter are slated to be on display at the WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL! new product gallery during the 2011 North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) show. This is the second year the NAFEM show has included the gallery, a one-stop shop spotlighting innovative products that deliver tangible benefits such as energy and water efficiency, reduced lifecycle costs, improved food safety, labor saving, eco-friendly materials, and smaller footprints. Among the products featured in the 2011 gallery—products NAFEM chose via a vigorous selection process—are Hobart’s Advansys Ventless Door Type Warewasher, Baxter’s Hybrid Convection...

MOONACHIE, N.J.—Designed to be used with a multitude of new and existing lighting fixtures with GU24 sockets, Bulbrite has added a line of dimmable GU24 compact fluorescents to its family of energy efficient CFLs. “The GU24 socket system was designed to replace the Edison socket and base, transforming standard lighting into energy efficient fixtures,” says Bulbrite president Cathy Choi. “With the industry’s surge to become more environmentally friendly, an ever-growing number of suppliers, distributors and specifiers are using lighting fixtures that feature GU24 sockets. To meet this growing demand, we have launched dimmable GU24 CFLs that offer an energy...

DANBURY, CONN.—FuelCell Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of ultra-clean high efficiency power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government, and utility clients, announced that its 2.8 megawatt (MW) DFC3000 power plant operating on natural gas has been certified under the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) distributed generation emission standards that were established in 2007 (CARB 2007). The CARB 2007 certification affirms the ultra-clean emission profile of the DFC3000 to the various California Air Quality Management Districts that oversee the clean air permitting process. Due to this certification, the local Air Quality Management District can choose to exempt clients...

SALT LAKE CITY—Control4, a provider of IP-based home control systems, has signed 45 Park Lane to its customer roster. Luxury hotel brand, Dorchester Collection, is set to open 45 Park Lane in the heart of London’s Mayfair in Summer 2011. The hotel will use Control4 Suite Systems’ automation technology, a complete door-to-drapes operating system and platform for the modern hotel room that allows guests to easily control lighting, room temperature, TVs, music, drapes and concierge services with a single remote. With a large penthouse and 45 luxurious rooms and suites, all with sweeping views of Hyde Park, 45 Park Lane...

WESTPORT, CONN.—Solar products, trends and technologies and their role in the HVACR marketplace will take center stage at the 2011 AHR Expo in Las Vegas, January 31 to February 2. In addition to many new solar products on display, there will be more than a dozen seminars focused on solar topics, as well as demonstrations of solar technology, provided throughout the three days of the world’s largest HVACR exposition and conference. “Solar is one of the fastest-growing segments of the many sustainable technologies featured at the show,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company, which produces and manages the...

ATLANTA—In order to move the industry forward toward more energy efficient design, ASHRAE is making it easier than ever before to access its flagship energy standard, 90.1, available as a free download for a limited time. Through a funding contract with the Department of Energy, copies of the I-P edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, are being offered as a free downloadable PDF. “Standard 90.1-2007 is widely used throughout the design community, and the download version makes it available to users at their own computers for ready and easy access,” ASHRAE president Lynn...

ATLANTA—The world’s biggest HVAC Expo and the largest membership-based HVAC&R engineering society have chosen Las Vegas as the site of the ASHRAE 2011 Winter Conference and AHR Expo. The extravagant setting of Las Vegas serves as a unique contrast to ASHRAE’s Winter Conference theme of A Safe Bet: Zero-Energy Design. It is sure to highlight the importance of finding the balance in design. The 2011 Winter Conference takes place January 29 to February 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo, held in conjunction with the Winter Conference, will run January 31 to February 2....

SHEFFIELD, MASS.—Monarch Bath, Bed & Spa, a leading global provider of luxury bathrobes and linens to the hospitality industry, released the full results of an independent research project that was conducted in order to test and evaluate the properties of their MONARCH ECO towels, a recently introduced line of eco-friendly bath linens that are designed to conserve water and reduce energy costs in the laundry operation. The extensive tests were performed in conjunction with Destination Hotels & Resorts (DH&R) at The Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Englewood, Colo., a 302-room, 4-Diamond resort with an in-house laundry that processes more...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—3M Purification Inc. has expanded its portfolio of Filtrete Commercial HVAC filters. The two new filters—Filtrete Commercial HVAC Filter MERV A13 and Filtrete Commercial HVAC Filter MERV A11 from 3M—are designed with an innovative open filtration media structure, precision pleat structure and high surface area mini-pleat design, resulting in low pressure drop, thereby helping decrease energy use. The new MERV A13 rated filter meets the minimum requirement for an Indoor Environmental Quality point toward LEED certification for new and existing buildings. Using 3M technology, this filter offers a unique combination of high in-use efficiency, low pressure drop and...