ST. LOUIS, MO.—Emerson Climate Technologies, a business of Emerson, announced the launch of its Big Blue Humidity Control Touchscreen Thermostat. This universal thermostat, which features a large blue touchscreen, controls single-stage, multi-stage and heat pump systems with up to four stages of heat and two stages of cool. The Emerson Big Blue Humidity Control Touchscreen offers two selectable program schedules or can be dedicated non-programmable. It has up to four time and temperature settings per program and can be either battery powered with power stealing assist or hardwired. “Contractors now have an easy sell to their customers that desire premium comfort...

VANCOUVER, WASH.—The Hilton Vancouver, Washington, one of America’s first sustainably-designed hotels, is making history again this month as the first hotel in the world to earn both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Seal certifications. The Green Seal environmental certification accolade comes three years after the hotel became the first major U.S. hotel—and the first Hilton Hotel—to earn LEED certification. “The Hilton Vancouver, Washington is the only hotel in the world to achieve environmental sustainability certification from two top universally accepted and independent analysts,” said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president, brand management—Hilton Hotels & Resorts. “This hotel...

STAR ISLAND, BAHAMAS—There have been many changes in the few years since “travel” and “sustainable” first appeared in the same sentence. Emerging technologies coupled with mounting consumer demand have given us thousands of green travel options—from luxury eco-lodges (that make a negligible impact on their ecosystems) to carbon-neutral resorts, tours and airlines. A new leader in this green revolution is Star Island, a private-island destination currently under development in the Out Islands of the Bahamas. It will open its doors in late 2009. “This is a very exciting time in the field of green technology and, by extension, sustainable tourism,”...

HOUSTON—Led by a dramatic increase in utility costs, the overall cost of running a facility is 10 percent higher than it was just four years ago, according to results from a recent International Facility Management Association research report. The study, Benchmarks V: Annual Facility Costs, shows that utility costs—which include electricity, gasoline, fuel oil, steam water and sewage—have jumped 19 percent compared to similar data from 2006. While the increase in utility costs may come as no surprise to some, it is happening at a time when energy consumption is down. When compared to IFMA’s 2006 benchmarking figures, average electricity...

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Industries Group, Inc. announced that the company is a Founding Reporter of The Climate Registry. Shaw is among a select group of just over 200 founding reporting entities. The Climate Registry is a nonprofit organization established to measure and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in a common, accurate and transparent manner consistent across industry sectors and borders. Thirty nine U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces, six Mexican states, three Native American tribes, and the District of Columbia are the founders of the organization. The Registry sets consistent and credible standards for the measurement, verification and public reporting of...

NEW YORK—In a major initiative to reduce energy and carbon emissions significantly, the New York Marriott Downtown, a 500-room full-service Marriott hotel managed by Marriott International, Inc. and owned by Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., celebrated the inauguration of its new “microturbine farm” with a ribbon cutting on June 3 in Lower Manhattan. The installation of two hotel owner-funded PureComfort systems built by UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. company, makes the hotel the first in New York City to use this ultra clean technology to provide its own electricity, cooling and heating on-site. Waste heat generated by the system’s...

NIANTIC, CONN.—INNCOM International, a global leader in energy management systems and products for the lodging industry, has joined with one of the nation’s leading HVAC manufacturers to develop technology that will deliver greater levels of precision HVAC control to guests and better energy efficiency—and, thus, lower operating costs—to hotels. Niantic, Conn.-based INNCOM is teaming with Oklahoma City-based Williams Applied Products Group whereby INNCOM is developing a controller that Williams Applied Group will use in fan-coil units. The state-of-the-art controller will maximize guest comfort—thus increasing guest satisfaction—and will drastically reduce hotel operating costs, thanks to dramatically improved energy efficiency while simultaneously...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Visitors to this year’s Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) will have an opportunity to learn about some of the industry’s most innovative energy management technologies. Numerous vendors will be on hand to introduce their latest advancements on the trade show floor and GUESTROOM 2010 will also feature green technologies. HITEC will be held June 16 to 19 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. The following is a summary of some of the technologies that will be featured by vendors at HITEC: Energy Authority International (EAI) will introduce its Web-based WiSuite guestroom energy management system that uses...

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—Hilton Hotels Corp. announced short and long term goals and objectives towards building sustainability into the core fabric of its businesses worldwide. Christopher J. Nassetta, President & CEO, outlined directional targets for improvement in the company’s sustainability performance throughout the next five years within systemwide hotels globally. By 2014, goals for the Hilton Family of Hotels are to: • Reduce energy consumption from direct operations by 20 percent; • Reduce Co2 emissions by 20 percent; • Reduce output of waste by 20 percent; and • Reduce water consumption by 10 percent. “Upon becoming a truly global company with the acquisition of Hilton International and following the...

GREEN BAY, WIS.—Hotel Sierra of Green Bay, Wis., formerly the Regency Suites Hotel, has earned the Focus on Energy Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency. With the help of Focus on Energy expertise and $10,500 in financial incentives, Hotel Sierra was able to contract with Johnson & Jonet to complete energy efficiency projects that will save them $25,000 in annual energy costs. These projects include: • Guestroom energy management controls, which reduce energy use in rooms not occupied by guests. • Kitchen exhaust ventilation which delivers the appropriate fan speed required to match the input air, resulting in less energy used. • Chiller...