BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—Hilton Hotels revealed that it delivered energy savings of more than 10 percent in 2007 across its portfolio of more than 80 properties in Europe. Water consumption also fell by 5 percent, the equivalent to nearly 75 Olympic sized swimming pools. “In just two years we are seeing some very real and tangible results across Europe,” says Wolfgang M. Neumann, president of Hilton Hotels-Europe. “We made a commitment in January 2006 to think green, take action and responsibility to switch to more environmentally sustainable methods of working. Today’s results speak for themselves.” Hilton has made these impressive reductions through...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. and the state of Amazonas signed an agreement to support the first project of its kind to help protect 1.4 million acres of endangered rainforest. This innovative partnership between government and the private sector is one of the first in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. Marriott has committed $2 million to fund an environmental management plan administered by the newly created Amazonas Sustainable Foundation. By year end, Marriott guests and group customers will also be able to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated from their hotel stays by contributing to this rainforest...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking organizations to join the Energy Star Low Carbon IT Campaign. By enabling the power management, or sleep mode, on their computers and monitors, organizations will help reduce our growing demand for electricity, and save money while fighting climate change. If all office computers and monitors in the United States were set to sleep when not being used, the country could save more than 44 billion kWh or $4 billion worth of electricity and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of about 5 million cars each year. “Although the work...

NATIONAL REPORT—Not so long ago, ice machines were not purchased based on energy or water efficiency. That all changed when the economy began to experience some bumps five to 10 years back, which is when most hotel chains began to take a much closer look at their operational costs. In response to concerns about costs, as well as environmental impact, manufacturers of ice machines began producing more efficient equipment. The results have definitely been favorable. In the last five years, according to experts, ice machine energy efficiency has improved by about 15 to 20 percent, and some models are...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Two recently released studies, one by the New Buildings Institute (NBI) and one by CoStar Group, have validated what the green building community has known all along: third party certified buildings outperform their conventional counterparts across a wide variety of metrics, including energy savings, occupancy rates, sale price and rental rates. In the NBI study, the results indicate that new buildings certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification system are, on average, performing 25 to 30 percent better than non-LEED certified buildings in terms of energy use. The study also demonstrates that there is a correlation...

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—Watt Stopper/Legrand has developed the LS-301 Dimming Photosensor, carefully combining features for optimal performance and ease of installation and use. At the heart of the device is the groundbreaking sliding setpoint control algorithm pioneered by Watt Stopper/Legrand. The LS-301 also employs a handheld setup remote to facilitate quick and convenient commissioning. The sliding setpoint algorithm allows the controller to compensate for the disparate spatial distribution of daylight and electric light. By having two different setpoints for day and night, the target setpoint changes based on the current light level conditions. Additionally, the spectral response of the LS-301’s photodiode...

SALT LAKE CITY—Echoflex Solutions Inc., a leading manufacturer of EnOcean-enabled controls, is releasing a self-powered wireless key switch. The one-of-a-kind switch is activated by hotel key cards and not only promises to reduce the cost of powering unoccupied hotel rooms, it also promises to simplify the process of conforming to ASHRAE/IESNA standard 90.1. The standard requires that hotel rooms feature an occupancy-based master control. The self-powered switch generates its own power each time a hotel key card is inserted into or removed from its dock. When guests enter a room, they insert the key card into a docking station. After...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Energy Star award winners Lowe’s Cos. Inc., PepsiCo, Food Lion, LLC, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc., Marriott International Inc., and 3M, are among those showcased in a report released today by EPA for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. The report, “Profiles in Leadership, 2008 Energy Star Award Winners,” highlights 74 award-winning organizations across many sectors of the U.S. economy, including schools, hospitals, real estate, manufacturing, chemicals and home building. “EPA applauds these organizations for preserving our environment and our energy resources,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Whether you are running a business or...

YORKVILLE, N.Y.—Meyda Tiffany, a leading manufacturer of decorative lighting, has begun installing the largest LED chandelier in the world. After nearly a year of planning, Meyda recently completed production in its manufacturing facilities in Yorkville, N.Y. (outside of Utica, N.Y.). Designed and engineered with state-of-the-art technology and energy efficiency for a local performing arts theater, the Meyda Chandelier illuminates with 328 LEDs made by Philips Luxeon (same LEDs used for New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square) using 1,120 total watts (equivalent of energy used for one-drip coffeemaker), instead of conventional incandescent bulbs requiring 7,435 watts (energy equivalent of...

FORT LAUDERDALE—The EcoGreen Award Certification, an online program spearheaded by Tropical Lights, Inc., has been developed for the hotel and restaurant industries to specifically reduce energy consumption by converting to efficient lighting technologies. The United States could reduce energy consumption by 20 percent, in just a single year, with simple light bulb changes. U.S. buildings consume 65 percent of total electricity generated, with lighting being more than 50 percent of that use. Efficient lighting technologies can reduce usage by almost 70 percent immediately, making it quite clear that lighting is the place to start. The EcoGreen Award Certification evolved from...