MALVERN, PA.—Bob McGarrah, senior energy management advisor to USA Technologies, spoke in front of a public forum sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy last week. He suggested that simple changes to improving vending machine efficiency, with VendingMiser technology, would have a cumulative impact on the nation’s economy. USA Technologies is also taking their message to the U.S. Senate Energy Committee. In a letter to Senators, McGarrah suggested that lawmakers provide incentives to encourage owners to upgrade their existing machines with energy-saving technology that can reduce energy consumption by up to 50 percent. “Owners rebuild and refurbish...

NATIONAL REPORT—From an environmental benefit standpoint, there are few slam dunks like hand dryers. Used primarily in common areas like restrooms, hand dryers—when offered as the only hand drying option and not alongside paper towels—save trees, energy and money. Not all hand dryers are the same; some are more efficient than others. The bottom line, however, is that they eliminate the need to cut down trees to make paper*, the cost of buying the paper, the labor and disposal costs related to waste disposal, and promote a more hygienic environment. “Hand dryers have always been knows as...

NATIONAL REPORT—Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor (moisture) suspended in air. It is measured as Percent Relative Humidity (%RH) or the percentage of water vapor that can possibly be contained in air, at its present temperature. Air at 0%RH is completely dry and free of moisture; air at 100%RH contains all the moisture it can possibly hold at its present temperature and will be exhibited as condensation, fog or rain. The amount or volume of water vapor that can be contained in air varies with air temperature. Air at 50°F and 60%RH contains less moisture in suspension than...

NATIONAL REPORT—With water heating accounting for approximately 40 percent of a hotel’s energy consumption, it is no wonder that an increasing number of hotels are implementing ozone laundry systems. Provided by about a dozen vendors around the United States, these systems can save about 80 percent in hot water consumption and up to 30 percent in overall water usage. The trend toward ozone system implementation comes at a time when an increasing number of hotels are bringing their laundry operations in-house. Jack Reiff, president of Worcester, Mass.-based Wet-Tech, says hotel operators who switch to ozone systems benefit from much...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it has partnered with the widely recognized U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program. This latest partnership with Energy Star, which will focus on the company’s 15 U.S.-based properties, is part of Fairmont’s ongoing strategy to streamline its energy performance and reduce both utilities consumption and greenhouse gas emissions throughout its operations. A voluntary program, Energy Star provides businesses with guidelines and resources necessary to achieve and maintain energy efficiency. The program involves ongoing measurement, tracking and benchmarking of a hotel’s energy performance. An innovative energy performance rating system determines each building’s eligibility for...

RED DEER, ALBERTA—The 88-room Comfort Inn & Suites Red Deer in Alberta, Canada, would have a pretty hefty heating bill given its northern location. “Would” is the key word here. It does not have high energy costs thanks to a roof-based solar heating system. The system employs equipment normally used as a ground-source heat pump, designed to exploit the stable ambient temperature of the earth to provide seasonal heating and cooling. The Comfort Inn design, however, does not have an underground loop of liquid-filled tubing for geothermal exchange; the heat pump is connected to 60 roof-based solar collectors and a...

NATIONAL REPORT—The United States has developed an extremely dynamic population made up of many different nationalities. The Spanish population has become the second largest group in America. Statistics also show that Spanish is the second most common language spoken in America. We have all noticed that Spanish-speaking adults now make up a substantial portion of our workforce. The hotel industry employs a significant number of Spanish-speaking workers in all of the departments throughout the hotel. This is common in almost all size cities today. Spanish-speaking employees pose a unique problem in the hotel business because most of the...

NATIONAL REPORT—No engineer will dispute the connection between preventive maintenance (PM) and energy efficiency. Ask a roomful of engineers the best way to conduct PM, however, and you may get a wide variety of answers. Fortunately for hotel owners and operators, there are myriad automated systems available that help ensure that proper PM gets done, and that energy and profits do not disappear into thin air. The following are descriptions of a few PM system vendors and their solutions. Dunedin, Fla.-based Mintek Mobile Data Solutions’ WinTrack PM system incorporates mobile devices and bar coding to help engineers...

DENVER—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) recently honored the winners of the AH&LA Achievement Awards, part of the Stars of the Industry Awards breakfast, held during the AH&LA Summer Summit at The Brown Palace Hotel and sponsored by U.S. Foodservice. The awards, created in 1966, recognize individual hotel properties that have developed outstanding public relations campaigns. Among the categories is Good Earthkeeping. The Onyx Hotel in Boston won the Good Earthkeeping award, small property category, for its integrated approach to sustainable lodging practices. The hotel demonstrates a strong commitment to purchasing eco-friendly products and amenities, as well as innovative...

LAS VEGAS—Power Efficiency Corp., a developer and manufacturer of advanced energy savings technologies for electric motors, announced that it completed successful tests on two escalators at the Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower, one of the most recognizable properties on the Las Vegas Strip. The Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower is part of the American Casino & Entertainment Properties family of casinos. “Our products performed very successfully in these tests, the latest of four tests we’ve recently announced,” says Steven Strasser, Power Efficiency’s chairman and c.e.o. “Energy is a core national and environmental concern. With energy prices constantly rising,...