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Energy Management

Everyone has felt the sting of rising energy costs recently. Savvy hoteliers have implemented plans to address these increases. It could be a simple operational change or a complex capital investment. Green Lodging News covers the latest news and trends pertaining to energy management. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Energy Management

Home Energy Management
Everyone has felt the sting of rising energy costs recently. Savvy hoteliers have implemented plans to address these increases. It could be a simple operational change or a complex capital investment. Green Lodging News covers the latest news and trends pertaining to energy management. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Nearly 1 Million People Take Energy Star Change a Light Pledge

NEW YORK—The 20-day national Energy Star Change a Light Bus Tour concluded with nearly 1 million Americans across the country pledging to change more than 2.6 million lights to help fight climate change. This represents a potential savings of nearly $70 million in energy costs and prevention of 1 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson ended the 10-city tour at Manhattan’s Union Square. “Some have said one person can’t change the world,” Johnson says. “Well, how about a million people? By teaching nearly a million Americans that protecting the environment and saving money is...

Sugar Hill Harlem Inn Goes Solar to Chop Electricity Costs in Half

NEW YORK—The Sugar Hill Harlem Inn, housed in a historic building more than 100 years old, is finalizing the installation of 18 solar panels on its roof. Jeremy Archer, owner of the five-room inn, expects the panels to supply one-half of the building’s electricity needs. The panels cost the inn $17,000 but a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) covered one-third of the costs. A low-interest loan from New York City’s Neighborhood Housing Services also is helping to defray the expenses. Archer says part of the requirement for obtaining the NYSERDA grant was that...

Enodis Recognized for Training Program Focused on Saving Energy

NEW PORT RICHEY, FLA.—The Foodservice Consultants Society International named Enodis as the Education Provider of the Year during its annual awards ceremony during the North American Foodservice Manufacturers Association (NAFEM) Show in Atlanta. The award was presented to Enodis, a global leader in foodservice equipment manufacturing, for its accredited training program, “Energy Saving Technology in Foodservice,” designed specifically for consultants. The training is offered several times each year at the Enodis Technology Center in Tampa, Fla. Consultants are presented with a one-day overview of the green trends driving kitchen innovation today and the ways in which different categories of equipment...

Honeywell to Install Retrofits in 66 California Motel 6 Properties

CARROLLTON, TEXAS—Motel 6 has signed on to participate in the Honeywell Cool Control Plus program, which is designed to help drastically reduce Motel 6’s environmental footprint. Working on behalf of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Honeywell will install energy-saving retrofits in a total of 7,530 rooms in the 66 Motel 6 properties located within PG&E’s service area in northern and central California. Motel 6 has independently installed the Telkonet SmartEnergy (formerly Smart Systems) occupancy sensors and thermostats in 49 properties in California, and teaming with PG&E and Honeywell will bring the total number of rooms with retrofits to 13,440. “By...

GE Rolls Out New UltraStart Watt-Miser T5 Systems

CLEVELAND, OHIO—GE Consumer & Industrial’s new program-start UltraStart Watt–Miser T5 Systems for retail, property management, commercial and industrial applications deliver a multitude of performance advantages compared with standard T5 systems. The systems offer wattage savings with lumen equivalency, parallel operation that keeps the unit operational despite a lamp failure, fast start times and a continuous cathode cutout functionality that reduces ballast wattage consumption and maximizes fixture efficiency at higher temperatures. Upon initial installation, a 4-lamp F54-T5-WM-ECO fixture with the new ultra-efficient linear fluorescent T5 ballast (GE454MVPS90–E) from GE delivers 20,000 lumens while consuming just 216 watts (93 lumens per watt)...

SmartCube Replaces AutoClassic as Leading Automated Minibar

ROCKVILLE, MD.—SmartCube, the next generation minibar released in 2006, has replaced AutoClassic as the No. 1 fully automated minibar in the U.S. hotel market. Over the past 12 years, Minibar Systems has installed thousands of the AutoClassic line of automated minibars throughout North America. As the co-designer of the AutoClassic, Minibar Systems will continue to support all hotels with AutoClassic for the next several years and advises hotels that have the AutoClassic system to call 1-877-464-6422 for immediate technical, operational and spare parts support. Smartcube, a ground-breaking next-generation product from Minibar Systems, combines cutting edge technology, upgradeability, eco-friendly materials, upscale...

Telkonet’s Preferred Provider Status with Vantage Hospitality Expands to Energy Management

GERMANTOWN, Md.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading technology solutions provider for broadband networking, end-to-end service support and energy management, announced that its established Preferred Provider Status for the Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc. has been extended to encompass Telkonet’s energy management solution. With Telkonet SmartEnergy, owners of Vantage’s Americas Best Value Inns and Lexington Collection hotels have the opportunity to significantly reduce in-room energy consumption by eliminating the wasteful heating and cooling of unoccupied rooms. In addition, Telkonet offers a comprehensive range of services, including wired and wireless high-speed Internet access (HSIA) and proactive customer support, all managed from a single centralized management...

Rheem Unveils First Tankless Water Heater Sizing Software

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA—Rheem Water Heating recently became the first industry manufacturer to offer computer software specifically intended for sizing tankless water heaters for residential and commercial installations. Based on the widely used CertiSpec software for Rheem-Ruud commercial water heaters, the new EZ-Spec tankless software application is now available for download at www.rheemtankless.com in the “Products” menu. Simple to use, the new EZ-Spec offers drop-down menus and easy-to-understand fields. The user selects a specific application (single-family home, townhome/apartment; restaurant, school, health club, laundromat, hotel, etc.) from a drop-down menu and then enters relevant sizing data, fuel type, number of hot-water fixtures, input...

Ecolab Enters Into Strategic Partnership with Site Controls

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Site Controls, LLC, a leading provider of energy management and business intelligence solutions. Under terms of the agreement, Ecolab will make a minority investment in Site Controls and create a joint venture called Total Enterprise Control (TEC), which will focus on providing energy management and remote monitoring solutions to Ecolab’s customers. “Rising operational and energy costs are one of the top concerns of our customers,” says Jim Miller, executive vice president, Ecolab Institutional Sector North America. “We saw in Site Controls the potential to provide a...

Eight Boston Area Hotels Add Energy Star Designation

BOSTON—Three additional hotels in the Boston area have earned an Energy Star label by documenting superior energy performance and efficiency. With the new designations, there are now eight hotels in the Hub metropolitan area that have made sufficient energy improvements to achieve an Energy Star label. At an event on Thursday, October 4, EPA honored Boston area hoteliers, recognizing each for their facilities’ superior energy performance. Together with Boston Green Tourism, the agency lauded local hoteliers for improving energy efficiency and implementing high quality measures that ultimately improve the guest experience. “We’re excited to see Boston’s hospitality industry take a...