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...

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)...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

DANBURY, CONN.—FuelCell Energy Inc., a leader in the development and manufacture of fuel cells for Ultra-Clean electric power generation, announces the launch of a new website at www.fuelcellenergy.com. The new site contains extensive information on the company’s patented Direct FuelCell (DFC) technology, and also provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits fuel cell power plants offer for a wide variety of markets and industries. The new website provides information on FuelCell Energy’s global power plant fleet and contains the information, resources, and products customers need to implement reliable, Ultra-Clean power for their 24/7 baseload power requirements. In addition to information...

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.—RSI International Systems Inc. announced that their RoomKey Property Management System has become “Carbon Free” through a carbon emission offset partnership with Carbonfund.org. RoomKey is the first fully integrated Web-based property management software solution that offers hoteliers complete functionality while providing an opportunity to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. RoomKey enables hotels, inns and resorts to effectively manage their property while conveying their environmental commitment to guests and other stakeholders. RoomKey uses approximately 94 percent less energy than traditional server-based property management systems. Because RoomKey is Web-based and centrally hosted, every client using RoomKey PMS can reduce...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC’s premiere historic luxury hotel, is now powered by 100 percent wind energy. Pepco Energy Services, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. and a leader in renewable electricity, supplies the 332-room landmark hotel with 100 percent wind renewable energy credits, making the Willard the first urban luxury hotel in the United States to be fully supported in this sustainable manner. Pepco Energy Services provides the Willard InterContinental Washington with nearly 7.1 million kilowatt hours of 100 percent wind renewable energy certificates. The Loyalton Group, an energy risk management firm in Washington, D.C., facilitated the contracts,...