ATLANTA—CQ Construction and CQ Capital Partners, both parts of the Clarkston, Ga.-based Charania Group of Companies (CGC), are completing construction of a new Cambria Suites property that is located less than one-half mile from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The 143-room hotel, which includes a restaurant, bar, swimming pool and meeting space, is well on its way to earning a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. According to Rahim Charania, president of CGC, the Choice Hotels International franchised property will open in the first quarter of 2009 and is expected to...

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Prescolite has introduced watts per square foot optics to its LiteFrame line. The new fixtures feature more lumens per watt, offering energy-saving benefits while increasing efficacy for retail, hospitality and design-build projects. LiteFrame’s new innovative optical design offers much more light than the typical 45-degree cutoff and opens up the opportunity to illuminate more space with fewer fixtures. With a slightly wider cutoff and broader light distribution, LiteFrame provides uniformity to increase safety and minimize distractions. Additionally, Prescolite’s patented watts per square foot optics controls brightness and glare at all lateral viewing angles, offering an even brightness control for...

ROANOKE, VA.—The Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center in Syracuse, N.Y., has installed Lodging Technology’s GEM System Energy Management in all 236 guestrooms. At the Sheraton, GEM System is interfaced directly to their existing SIEMENS Apogee Building Automation System to further enhance energy savings. GEM System, an infrared sensor-based guestroom energy management system, reduces room energy costs 35 percent to 45 percent. “We are very excited to start utilizing the system and begin to realize (increased) energy savings”, said David Heymann, hotel general manager. The SIEMENS Apogee system allowed the Sheraton to maintain setback temperature levels in unrented rooms,...

NEW YORK—Thanks to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), hotels throughout the state of New York can receive low cost building energy audits, and incentives on kitchen equipment ranging from reach-in solid door refrigerators to insulated holding cabinets. Incentives run as high as $500 for freezers and ice makers and as low as $30 for pre-rinse spray valves. The services are paid through the System Benefits Charge that many owners and operators in the hospitality industry cover through their electric utility bills. According to Ed Smyth, manager of the Troy, N.Y. office of RLW Analytics,...

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels announced that The Proximity Hotel and Print Works Bistro have been awarded LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC’s rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings. Opened in late 2007, the Proximity is the first hotel and Print Works is the first restaurant to obtain the USGBC’s top level of certification. “When we started the design process four years ago, I would have never believed that we could use 41 percent less energy and 33 percent less water without...

ATLANTA – Chicago, with one of the most recognizable skylines in the world, has long-standing status as a livable urban center. That the city has stood the test of time makes it the perfect backdrop for ASHRAE’s 2009 Winter Conference. The theme will be “Sustainable Urban Design: Engineering Tomorrow…Today.” With a focus that resources must be conserved and environments respected even in urban settings, the ASHRAE Conference takes place January 24 to 28 at the Palmer House Hilton. Held in conjunction with the meeting is the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, January 26 to 28 at McCormick Place. Meeting highlights include...

TORONTO—EnviroTower, a clean technology leader providing proven clean cooling tower water treatment solutions, has won the prestigious Deloitte Technology Green 15 Award. The award was created last year to showcase 15 North American companies that are leading the way to create major breakthroughs in the field of green technology. This marks the second consecutive year EnviroTower has been named to the Technology Green 15, solidifying the company as a leader in sustainable technology innovation. In addition to Green 15 honors, John Coburn, a water technology industry veteran and EnviroTower’s CEO, participated in an exclusive CEO panel discussion at...

GOLDEN, COLO.—The new Andaluz, formerly the La Posada de Albuquerque Hotel, will reopen later this year in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico with a 73-panel solar thermal system from Novan Solar Inc. of Golden, Colorado, that will provide domestic hot water for the hotel. The Novan system is part of the hotel’s redevelopment by Albuquerque developer Gary Goodman, representing one of the first historic remodels in the United States to conform to the energy efficiency and sustainability standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Goodman’s firm, Historic Hotels, will have spent more than...

EAST FREETOWN, MASS.—Heat Transfer Products has unveiled a new 30-tube solar collector panel that will deliver up to 39,000 Btu per panel per day, depending on available sunlight. The collectors are engineered to maximize energy efficiency even at high Delta T temperatures, making them ideal for colder regions or applications demanding higher outlet temperatures. Each panel assembly consists of 30 twin-glass, evacuated tubes to absorb solar energy for heating water. They are shipped with a ready-to-assemble 439 stainless-steel frame for easy rooftop mounting. Rather than wrestling with a cumbersome, prefabricated collector panel on a rooftop, the technician builds the collector...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—EPA has revealed a new online tool, Energy Star @ Work, to provide Americans with tips and information on how to save energy and protect the environment in the workplace. Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 50 percent of energy consumption nationwide. With the average American worker spending almost eight hours a day at their place of employment, the workplace offers a unique opportunity for people to make a significant impact in the fight against climate change. “Millions of Americans are already doing their part...