LAS VEGAS—With SensorStat, a direct digital control thermostat distributed by EnerBrite Technologies Group, Inc., two major Florida hotels have found a way to save on both energy costs and maintenance costs associated with mold and mildew. The Radisson Hotel Palm Beach Airport and the Clarion Jacksonville Airport Hotel & Conference Center both credit SensorStat for helping them meet the challenge. “Unbelievably, we have already reached (a return of investment) just 12 months after installation,” said Clarion Jacksonville Airport general manager Norman LeBert, who had SensorStat installed in June 2006. “Also, energy costs in our area were actually increasing at a...

NATIONAL REPORT—When looking for the “low hanging fruit” in a hotel—those areas that offer the easiest and fastest opportunities to save energy—one piece of equipment that is often forgotten is the kitchen exhaust hood. Unfortunately, most commercial kitchen hoods include single-speed fans that operate at 100 percent capacity all day long, even during idle (non-cooking) periods when ventilation rates can be safely reduced. The annual cost of wasted energy can be thousands of dollars per hood, or as much as $2 billion a year for the entire foodservice industry. One way to reduce energy consumption and costs is to control...

WALTHAM, MASS.—American DG Energy Inc., a leading on-site utility offering electricity, heat, hot water and cooling to hospitality facilities, has entered into a 15-year agreement to supply low-cost energy to the Hotel Indigo Boston–Newton Riverside, a branded boutique hotel located in Newton, Mass. Under the terms of the agreement, Hotel Indigo will soon receive a substantial portion of its electricity, space heat, swimming pool heat and domestic hot water directly from an on-site cogeneration facility, providing 100 kW and 732,000 btu’s per hour of energy while offsetting up to 328 tons of CO2 gas each year. American DG Energy will...

MALVERN, PA.—USA Technologies has been issued a patent for the VM2iQ, a key technology in the EnergyMiser energy conservation product line that targets the nation’s four million vending machines and $46 billion vending industry. The company announced that the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office had issued patent number 7,286,907 for Method and Apparatus for Conserving Power Consumed by a Refrigerated Appliance Utilizing Audio Signal Detection. “The patent protects strategic technology in the VM2iQ which is installed inside a vending machine and switches the cooling system in and out of energy savings mode by monitoring vending machine sales,” said Dan van...

MUSCLE SHOALS, ALA.—Aleco, with 30 years of experience as one of the largest manufacturers in the United States of energy saving impact doors and PVC strip doors for the food service industry, featured its new line of rigid and flexible ImpacDors, the JetStream Air Curtain and Economy Pan Rack Covers, at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York last month. The company’s line of ImpacDors offers an extremely wide variety of features and construction. The FS-250 is specially designed for high-volume traffic between the kitchen and the front of the house in restaurants. It is a lightweight and...

OLD SAYBROOK, CONN.—Situated on the site of one of New England’s first settlements (1623), the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa here has a rich history. Located in an environmentally sensitive area on the Connecticut River, one that recently has seen eagles return to it, the property is a champion of energy conservation and environmental protection. The 82-room inn has been run by the Tagliatela family since it opened as a renovated property in 1989. Stephen Tagliatela, co-owner, says the inn is the first full-service lodging establishment in Connecticut to earn the Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and...

CHICAGO—In a presentation at Greenbuild earlier this month, Destiny USA founder and chairman Robert J. Congel introduced the initial design of a hotel and conference facility that will be the next phase of the Destiny USA project in Syracuse, New York. The hotel, which will feature more than 1,300 rooms, is being designed to LEED Platinum standards and will serve as a showcase for sustainability. “Five years ago, Destiny USA was still learning what it takes to build a living laboratory for environmental stewardship, renewable energy and innovation,” Congel said. “Fortunately, we were ahead of the curve. Today we are...

ATLANTA—How low can you go when it comes to energy reduction in buildings? Try net zero. Guidance on how to get there is featured in the technical program at ASHRAE’s 2008 Winter Meeting, January 19-23, at the New York Hilton, New York City. For complete meeting information, including abstracts on all technical program sessions, visit www.ashrae.org/newyork. “This technical program is ASHRAE’s most ambitious ever,” promises Mo Hosni, chair of the ASHRAE Program Committee. “First, the technical program is filled with sessions that focus on the hottest issues facing the industry—sustainability and net-zero energy buildings. Second, the program is structured to...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Kustom Options Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory sponsor. Window films from Murrieta, Calif.-based Kustom Options help owners earn LEED points while reducing heating and cooling costs, enhancing views, and creating comfort zones. Kustom Options offers only the industry’s highest quality products; ceramic and metal-based products lead the way to comfort, quality and protection. Solar control, security, anti-graffiti, and decorative films are available. Call (866) 564-8468, e-mail kustomoptions@verizon.net, or go to www.kustomoptions.com.

NIANTIC, CONN.— INNCOM international, Inc. was singled out at the 92nd annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, held in New York earlier this month, as the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” award winner for its newest product innovation, ecoMODE. The honor was bestowed on INNCOM after being selected as one of 10 exhibitors out of 150 submissions to win a coveted Editors’ Choice Award. Now in its 12th year, the Editors’ Choice Awards serve as an opportunity for exhibitors to position their new products in the marketplace as the must-have new products of the year. Honorees were selected...