DENVER— National park and resort concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts has received the 2008 National Park Service Environmental Achievement Award for the company’s operations in Death Valley National Park. The award was given for exceptional achievement in sustainable energy practices. More specifically, the award recognizes Xanterra’s completion of one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in the United States—a five-acre one-megawatt (MW) system that will generate more than one-third of the total annual electricity needs of the company’s operations in Death Valley, including the historic Furnace Creek Inn, Furnace Creek Ranch, Furnace Creek Golf Course, employee offices and...

ATLANTA—Energy use in buildings can be reduced by 10 to 40 percent by improving operational strategies in buildings, according to a study by the Energy Systems Lab at Texas A&M University. A new certification program from ASHRAE helps building owners know they are hiring and retaining employees and consultants who know how to take advantage of such strategies. The Operations and Performance Management Professional Certification (OPMP) program helps earners demonstrate their knowledge of the management of facility operations and maintenance and their impact on HVAC&R systems’ performance. The program will launch at the ASHRAE Winter Meeting in Chicago in...

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.—As part of its ongoing program to “go green,” W.A.C. Lighting has introduced InvisiLED energy-saving display and accent lighting solutions using the latest LED technology. W.A.C. Lighting is a leading manufacturer of track, recessed, undercabinet, decorative and monorail lighting. Ideal for both new construction and retrofit projects, InvisiLED Tape Lights perform effectively for a broad range of applications including cove lighting, under counters and bars, toe kick spaces, display windows, refrigerated cases, trade show booths and architectural accents. The energy-efficient LED tape delivers a crisp, quality light while only using 2 watts per foot. It has a...

ATLANTA—Servidyne, Inc., a building performance efficiency and real estate company, announced that the number of its customers’ commercial buildings that have successfully achieved Energy Star Labels recently surpassed 200, ranking Servidyne among the industry’s leading third-party service providers. Energy Star is an energy performance rating system of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. This program has measured and rated more than 62,000 commercial buildings since its inception in 1992. “We are certainly proud of earning this distinction, as we continue to provide our customers with the expert guidance that enables their facilities to be recognized...

HANCOCK, MASS.—After the price of electricity jumped 50 percent during the 2005-2006 ski season at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, management knew it had to do something significant. It could not just keep passing along rising costs to its customers; it would lose market share. According to Jim Van Dyke, vice president of sustainability at the Hancock, Mass.-based property, the resort had already installed compact fluorescent bulbs and taken other simple steps to reduce costs. “We had exhausted the low-hanging fruit,” he says. The resort was already using more than 2 million kilowatt-hours less of power annually thanks to its...

CARLISLE, PA.—Carlisle SynTec, a leading manufacturer of single-ply roofing materials, recently introduced Roof$ense, a Web-based lifecycle analysis program that enables building owners to calculate the potential energy savings that can be realized from an energy efficient roof design for the next 10, 20 or 30 years. Available free of charge through Carlisle Manufacturer’s representatives, Roof$ense reports can be generated in minutes, quickly demonstrating how building owners can potentially save thousands in energy and maintenance costs while improving the overall efficiency of their properties. Roof$ense is designed to provide a simple, efficient and accurate assessment of a building’s projected energy costs based...

MALVERN, PA.—USA Technologies launched the next generation VM2iQ with improved customer benefits, greater market appeal and for a lower price. USA Technologies has reduced the cost of manufacturing the new VM2iQ technology, enabling the company to lower the price and improve return on investment for their customers. The new VM2iQ has an ROI that in most cases is less than nine months. The newly manufactured VM2iQ was designed to respond to growing customer demand, and comes with all the features of the original VM2iQ. It incorporates the same innovative, intelligent technology that installs inside the vending machine to control the...

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—Biltmore Farms SM Hotels announced that it will install a large-scale solar water heating system atop its new Hilton Hotel in Biltmore Park Town Square. The system will provide the 165-room hotel with more than 2,000 gallons of hot water a day, and it’s expected that the system will save approximately $10,000 annually in fossil fuel costs at current rates. The hot water system is one of the many environmentally friendly measures the community developer and its partner, Crosland, LLC, are undertaking at Biltmore Park Town Square to promote a healthy environment, reduce energy costs, and help it achieve...

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO.—FoodServiceWarehouse.com launched its Going Green Program, an industry-vetted program aimed at helping commercial kitchens cope with the costs and complexities of going green. Through educational resources, rewards and the industry’s only free certification process, FoodServiceWarehouse.com is dedicated to helping commercial kitchens slash energy costs, conserve water and reduce their environmental impact. To kick-start the program, FoodServiceWarehouse.com will give away a green commercial kitchen worth up to $40,000 to one qualifying kitchen. “Restaurants that invest strategically in energy efficiency can cut utility costs between 10 to 30 percent without sacrificing service, quality, style or comfort—while making significant contributions...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts was honored recently by Conde Nast Traveler as a leader in social responsibility in the travel industry as a winner of the magazine’s 2008 World Savers Awards in the category of environmental protection. As one of only six global travel companies handpicked from 142 applicants by an elite and prestigious judging panel for Conde Nast Traveler’s environmental leadership awards, Vail Resorts was recognized for its commitment to renewable energy, its aggressive and innovative “energy layoff” conservation program and its successful forest conservation partnership with the National Forest Foundation, a nonprofit associated with the U.S. Forest Service. “The...