SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Fat Spaniel Technologies, Inc., a market leader in providing monitoring and reporting services for distributed energy systems, announced a partnership with renewable energy systems manufacturer EnerWorks Inc. to deliver smart solar hot water systems. The joint product offering integrates Fat Spaniel’s monitoring and reporting services with EnerWorks’ award winning Solar Energy Units for commercial and industrial-scale hot water generation. The turnkey solution enables simplified installation, maintenance and billing to maximize return on investment for customers throughout North America. “By combining our trusted energy monitoring and monetization capabilities with EnerWorks’ innovative solar thermal products, we are working together...

ATLANTA—PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) estimates that U.S. hotel revenues will increase an estimated 5.8 percent in 2007, and grow another 5.3 percent in 2008. Both projections exceed the long-term average annual growth rate of 4.5 percent. Further, revenue growth will be heavily weighted toward growth in room rates relative to occupancy. Forecasts for revenue growth in excess of 5 percent should result in huge gains in profits especially when revenue growth largely comes from room rates. However, PKF-HR is concerned about the strong operating expense increases that typically occur at this point in the cycle and the negative impact they...

As any facility manager will tell you, energy costs have become a major budget concern for those in the lodging industry, and as energy prices continue to climb, the future doesn’t appear to offer much relief. And while energy-wise green building principles are quickly catching on for new construction, many managers are unaware of the basic opportunities for saving energy in their existing facilities. How does one go about finding such opportunities? Often, the solutions begin with an audit of your facility’s existing energy and water use. While such audits can come in many levels of detail, even a simple...

GERMANTOWN, MD.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading technology solutions provider for broadband networking, end-to-end service support and energy management, announced the availability of the new Telkonet SS1107 Energy Management Controller, representing significant advances in versatility, interoperability with other equipment, and overall performance. The new Telkonet SS1107 controller incorporates key design innovations, including compatibility with a wide range of Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner (PTAC) equipment and third party sensors, for maximum installation flexibility. Compared to the previous SS1106 model, the Telkonet SS1107 controller’s communications have been enhanced, with a dedicated port for high-speed communication and the ability to support future mesh networking technology,...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes LaMar Lighting Co., Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Occu-Smart, the energy-saving lighting system from LaMar Lighting, combines an internal motion sensor with bi-level electronic ballast to provide an innovative solution for seldom-used spaces, such as stairwells, corridors and storerooms where high light levels are only occasionally necessary. The sensor detects even the slightest movement and instantly switches from the adjustable standby light level to full light output. Occu-Smart is offered in 10 attractive wall or ceiling mount luminaire styles and both dwell time and...

RIPON, WISC.—Energy efficiency is only part of the story of UniMac’s new 55-pound drying tumbler. Hotel laundry managers will appreciate that UniMac built the UT055 to fit through a standard 36-inch doorway—unlike most drying tumblers of similar capacities. In addition to fitting through a standard opening, the tumbler is a foot shorter than its 50-pound counterpart. Its design maximizes cylinder capacity, while not wasting any cabinet space. The end result is a leaner (and greener) design that utilizes 20 percent less steel than a 50-pound tumbler. Perhaps the most impressive feature for on-premises laundry managers is the tumbler’s performance. In-house...

ADDISON, ILL.—Hotels, motels and resorts tracking temperature or humidity conditions affecting both patron comfort and energy costs can now have the convenience of both real-time data and the ability to download data for further analysis with the redesigned Dickson Graph-at-a-Glance Flat Panel Temperature and Humidity Data Loggers. The Graph-at-a-Glance data loggers are paperless chart recorders that provide a digital graph enabling hotel industry managers to immediately visualize environmental trends that have potentially affected their facilities. Features of the redesigned Graph-at-a Glance data loggers include: • 36 percent greater data resolution in a Jumbo 4.5” x 3.4” (114.3 mm x 86.36 mm) display...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. announced that it has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as a recipient of the 2008 Energy Star “Partner of the Year” award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), earning Marriott the distinction of being named a partner of “Sustained Excellence” for the second consecutive year. Marriott will be recognized for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency in an awards ceremony April 1, 2008, in Washington, D.C. “We are proud to recognize Marriott’s continued efforts with the 2008 Energy Star Sustained Excellence award,” said Robert J. Meyers, principal deputy assistant...

ATLANTA—Dyson, the English vacuum cleaner company, announced that their Airblade hand drying system has been awarded certification by NSF International. The Airblade system is marketed in the United States by Cannon Hygiene, Inc. This is the first and only such award the NSF has ever given to a hand dryer manufacturer. Formerly known as the National Sanitary Foundation, NSF is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. NSF has become a world leader in standards development, product certification, education, environmental protection, risk management, and sets guidelines to help protect health and the environment. According to Doug...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—We are used to the orange glow of sodium-based parking lights; you know the ones that take forever to illuminate after a power failure. This is the most common form of exterior lighting, although many areas of your facility will use different lighting depending on the situation. For large area illumination, High Pressure (HP) Sodium and Metal Halide are most commonly used because that has been the standard for many years. These technologies do have drawbacks: low quality of light spectrum, poor low temperature operation and a short life span of about 15,000 hours. Induction Lighting is the...