SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—Watt Stopper/Legrand announced a companywide initiative to make all aspects of the organization more environmentally friendly. President Jerry Mix kicked off Watt Stopper Green during a nationwide conference call, outlining ambitious goals that go well beyond the company’s long-time tradition of putting a stop to energy waste. As a leading manufacturer of energy saving products, he believes it is important that the company minimize its own environmental impact. Mix announced the Watt Stopper Green initiative with the following goals: • Manufacture products using environmentally sensitive techniques; • Continue to develop products that help customers save energy; • Improve resource conservation within all company...

KINGSTON, ONTARIO—Bill Allinson, one of the owners of the Confederation Place Hotel here, was skeptical at first when approached several years ago about installing a $52,000 rooftop solar water heating system. At the time he thought that money could be better spent on FF&E, marketing and other necessities. Eventually, he changed his mind and now the 95-room property is benefiting big time from a system he describes as almost maintenance-free. With the help of a federal grant, which took care of 25 percent of the system’s cost, a 20-panel rooftop system was installed on the hotel’s roof in November 2005....

PALO ALTO, CALIF.—Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) systems are becoming increasingly important in North America in light of the current drive to conserve energy, make buildings “green,” and enhance indoor air quality (IAQ). New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “North American Energy Recovery Ventilation Market,” found that this market earned revenues of $324.6 million in 2006 and it is expected to reach $778.7 million in 2012. “ERV is a growing segment within the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) market, particularly in northern tier winter heating zones and areas with warmer and high humidity climatic conditions,” says Frost & Sullivan research...

KINGSTON, JAMAICA—In a special communication to member hotels, the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) last month announced its decision to support an occupancy surcharge intended to help its members combat the rising costs of energy. Effective December 15, when Jamaica’s winter season officially began, hotels have the option of adding a surcharge to their nightly room rates, with the amount to be individually determined by each property. Hotels were advised to base the amount on market assessment and cost structure; a maximum of $10 per room, per night, was recommended. JHTA president Wayne Cummings spoke in a recent...

OSHKOSH, WISC.—Continental Girbau has unveiled the new M-Series hard-mount line of washer-extractors, available in 25-, 40- and 55-pound capacities. The new M-Series Washers deliver improved energy efficiency and higher G-force extract speeds than many hard-mount washers on the market, according to Joel Jorgensen, vice president of sales and customer services at Continental. “M-Series Washers are built using the same manufacturing platform as our high-performance E-Series Washers,” Jorgensen said. “They share many of the same components including the control systems—resulting in a higher performance hard-mount washer with unrivaled energy efficiency. This will save on-premise laundries gas, water and electricity. Superior programmability...

GERMANTOWN, MD.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading technology solutions provider for broadband networking, end-to-end service support and energy management, announced that it has been awarded a $3.8 million dollar contract by InTown Suites for the intelligent Telkonet SmartEnergy (TSE) energy management system. Under the contract, Telkonet will install TSE products in 125 InTown Suites locations across the United States, as an integral component in the organization’s ongoing commitment to achieving increased energy efficiencies at their properties. Commencing in January 2008, Telkonet will begin an aggressive implementation of the scheduled installations to ensure completion of this initiative within a six-month time frame. Telkonet was...

GERMANTOWN, MD.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading technology solutions provider for broadband networking, end-to-end service support and energy management, announced that Jason Tienor has been named president and CEO, and Dottie Cleal has been promoted to COO effective immediately. These appointments mark an important phase of change and opportunity for the company, and cement the long-term strategy initiated in August 2007 to drive Telkonet forward in an expanding marketplace. Under this new leadership, Telkonet is embarking on a key phase of development, encompassing a number of critical technical, personnel, integrational and operational changes. Key objectives for Jason Tienor and Dottie Cleal include...

SOMERSET, N.J.—Philips Lighting Co., a division of Philips Electronics North America Corp., an affiliate of Royal Philips Electronics, announces the introduction of a new family of Halogená Energy Advantage lamps. Delivering crisp, bright light, long life, and 30 to 38 percent energy savings over traditional incandescent technology, Halogená Energy Advantage bulbs are offered in a variety of shapes and wattages and represent a powerful, energy-efficient, and unprecedented new green lighting solution for the professional lighting market. Ideal for use in table and floor lamps, recessed cans, track lighting, and general lighting fixtures, Halogená Energy Advantage lamps enable commercial, retail,...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes AquaRecycle as a Green Product & Service Directory sponsor. AquaRecycle manufactures systems that recycle 100 percent of laundry wastewater. That water is then reused within the laundry. AquaRecycle’s proven technology provides customers with 80 percent water and sewer savings and 50 percent energy savings. The company’s innovative technology can qualify a facility for LEED points. Call (866) 272-9253, e-mail sales@aquarecycle.com, or go to www.aquarecycle.com.

CHICAGO—Constellation Energy announced that its subsidiary, Constellation NewEnergy, has entered into a green electricity purchase agreement with the InterContinental Chicago Hotel. As part of the agreement, Constellation NewEnergy will secure approximately 2 million kilowatt hours of Green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) through its NewMix Super product to match 50 percent of the hotel’s electricity usage. “Working with Constellation NewEnergy to match half of the hotel’s energy demands is in perfect alignment with our commitment to sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices,” said Chris Mander, regional vice president and general manager, InterContinental Chicago. “In addition to furthering our own environmental goals, we...