TORONTO—A three-floor, 114-bed hostel in Toronto that will open within the next couple of weeks could very well be the most energy efficient lodging establishment in North America. Incorporating solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal and heat capture technologies, the “low carbon” hostel will produce 75 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable building its size. The hostel’s name is the Planet Traveler and co-developer Tom Rand says the property is by far the best in class for hostels and was built to the standards of a boutique hotel. The cost for the energy-saving systems was $200,000, just 5 percent...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Consumers searching for the latest hybrid can soon look beyond their local car dealership. Beginning in 2011, GE Lighting will bring hybrid technology to the lighting aisle in the form of a unique, new incandescent-shaped light bulb that combines the instant brightness of halogen technology with the energy efficiency and longer rated life of compact fluorescent (CFL) technology. The initial product launch will bring U.S. and Canadian consumers GE Reveal and GE Energy Smart Soft White varieties that offer significantly greater instant brightness than current covered CFLs, while preserving the energy efficiency and long life attributes that have elevated...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Energy Cinch as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Energy Cinch is a highly effective energy saving Roman Shade style window treatment. It has an R-value of 7.69 and is designed to close off the convective loop, significantly lowering energy consumption and costs. Energy Cinch reduces winter heat loss by as much as 80 percent and summer heat gain by as much as 70 percent, making it a highly effective thermal barrier. The Energy Cinch shade installs behind existing drapes or by itself. Numerous fabrics and...

ACTON, MASS.—The parking lot adjacent to your building may soon be good for more than just parking cars. If Acton, Mass.-based Novotech, Inc. is successful in the development of its new technology, the heat energy in the pavement in your lot could soon be used to heat hot water or be used in absorption chillers to provide cooling (see illustration below). According to Tracy Snelling III, vice president of business development for Novotech, the company is currently testing its technology that incorporates plastic PEX tubing that is located about an inch below the pavement. The tubing, arranged in a serpentine pattern, carries...

NOVATO, CALIF.—SPG Solar, a leading U.S. solar installer and recently ranked as the second largest in California, announced that it will offer access to a full array of financial resources and expertise on public funding and tax credit opportunities for commercial solar projects. SPG Solar’s Structured Finance Group will be headed by Michael Johnson, the former managing director of the Renewable Energy Investment Program for the National Development Council, who joined SPG Solar in June, 2010 as vice president of project finance. With the formation of its Structured Finance Group, SPG Solar becomes one of the few companies able to...

WALTHAM, MASS.—American DG Energy Inc., a leading on site utility offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality facilities, has reached an agreement to supply clean energy to the Doubletree Guest Suites Boston, a premier, all-suite hotel in Boston. Under the terms of the agreement, the Doubletree will soon receive a significant portion of its energy from a 75 kW combined heat and power (CHP) system, which will be owned and operated by American DG Energy. The hotel will receive a discount on the energy produced by the CHP system and reduce its carbon emissions by...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has just added a new case study to its website. The case study focuses on the 130-room  (Ala.) and its installation of a 17-unit tankless water heating system from Noritz America. The original specification for the hotel called for a pair of 750-gallon, 750,000 BTU per hour (BTU/h) boilers, each measuring roughly five feet by 12 feet. The mechanical room where they were to be squeezed into could accommodate both pieces of equipment, but with just a few inches of clearance between each unit and the surrounding walls. Contractor Anthony Crouch, owner of Crouch & Sons...

OREM, UTAH—ILLUMRA, a supplier of self-powered, battery-free, wireless lighting and HVAC controls, recently won the “Best Dimming or Control” award at The LED Show in Las Vegas. A panel of LED experts reviewed the dimmer. The constant voltage dimmer is available in a wireless or wired configuration that responds to hardwired or wireless battery-free controls to adjust the brightness of LED fixtures. “ILLUMRA is providing the LED community with game changing technology,” said James Highgate, lighting consultant and director of the LED Show. “We are impressed with the dimming capabilities in such a small package. We see the potential for...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Reflect and Glow Products as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Find-A-Light from Reflect and Glow Products helps guests find the light switch at night without leaving a light on and wasting electricity. With exposure to day light or electric lights the advanced technology of this material provides a super bright glow. Find-A-Light products come in different styles and are available for both rocker and toggle type switch plates. They are easy to install. Simply use the existing screws on the wallplate to fasten Find A Light.For...

CARLSBAD, CALIF.—The La Costa Resort and Spa, a 400-acre property located near the beach in Carlsbad, Calif., has reduced its kitchen food waste volume by a factor of almost five times thanks to two industrial compost machines that rely on heat and agitation. According to Sam Bumgarner, purchasing director for the property, the machines, which each handle 250 pounds of food waste per day, are located in two different kitchens and compost 182,000 pounds of food scraps annually. Each day, approximately 40 pounds of compost is produced and given to the groundskeeping team to use around the property. "It sends...