NATIONAL REPORT—While fewer hotels are offering minibars, mini refrigerators are an expected appliance today, especially given COVID-19 and the inclination for travelers to bring their own food to their guestroom. Your choice of mini refrigerator can make a difference in not only guest satisfaction but your energy bill as well. The Energy Star website provides a page that allows one to search by price, size, capacity, brand name and shows annual energy consumption. Green Lodging News reached out to some of the lodging industry’s leading makers of mini refrigerators to get their latest take on this expected appliance. Minibar Systems Minibar...

NATIONAL REPORT—“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”—Robert Swan As a whole, the construction industry is aiming to be more environmentally friendly and one of the ways they are doing this is by utilizing polyurethane. We will be diving into how polyurethane is used by commercial warehouse construction companies, along with why and how it is environmentally friendly. In the majority of cases, polyurethane can replace the use of rubber, silicone, and plastic. Numerous companies have removed the use of plastic in their processes and products as much as possible. Why is polyurethane the...

DELAVAN, WIS.—Onsite Utility Services Capital has secured its reputation as a national leader in energy efficiency solutions by earning a place on the esteemed Silicon Review 50 Fastest Growing Companies of the Year 2020. “Being named to the list is a huge milestone for us,” says Fritz Kreiss, Onsite’s founder and CEO. “As we celebrate this win, we hope to continually build on this accomplishment and optimize our approach to energy solutions for many years to come. And with our new Clean Air as a Service program, we are in excellent position to continue leading the industry.” Onsite Utility Services Capital...

Does your property light pollute? Perhaps you have not even thought about it but light pollution, as defined by the International Dark-Sky Assn., is “the inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light.” A big thank you to UpSpring PR for making me aware of some of the issues related to light pollution and what can be done to minimize it. They cited four expert opinions in their recent e-mail to me. (To see how bad light pollution is near you, check out the NASA Blue Marble Navigator.) In a nutshell, light pollution can have many negative impacts on wildlife and...

SAN LEANDRO, CALIF.—FreeWire Technologies has announced that Boost Charger is the first battery-integrated ultrafast charging system to achieve UL certification. Boost Charger is the future of electric vehicle (EV) charging technology—a next-generation charger that boosts power at the grid edge instead of relying on utility upgrades. It uses existing low-voltage power coupled with an integrated battery buffer to enable ultrafast charging speeds while reducing installation costs and complexity by an order of magnitude. By eliminating grid upgrades, Boost Charger also makes ultrafast charging feasible at ten times as many locations as compared to traditional chargers. Boost Charger is the first...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Carrier announced that its WeatherExpert line of rooftop units now includes the variable-speed 48JC gas/electric and 50JC electric/electric models designed to vary cooling capacity down to 25 percent and up to 105 percent of normal capacity. The units boast impressive SEER ratings up to 20.0 and feature innovative EcoBlue Technology. Carrier, a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of Carrier Global Corp., a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. The 48/50 JC units are the products of extensive research and development designed...

NATIONAL REPORT—The amount of energy used by new buildings in the years to come is at risk of being higher than it should be—and higher than local government officials desire—if building and fossil gas industry interests prevail in overturning portions of the latest model energy code. The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) was on pace to be the most energy efficient code ever. But if industry interests succeed, there will be increased costs for owners and occupants, more power plant pollution dirtying our air, and thwart the ability of local governments to use building energy codes as a...

NORTON SHORES, MICH.—EarthTronics, dedicated to developing innovative energy-saving lighting products that provide a positive economic and environmental impact, introduces its high efficiency EarthBulb Smart LED Lighting Series that enables users to easily control ambiance and comfort through a wide range of white light and colors, while providing energy savings and security. The EarthBulb Smart LED Series includes the 9-watt A19 LED and the 8-watt BR30 LED, delivering 800 and 650 lumens with a high 90 CRI. Both LEDs are powered by the Tuya Smart App, available from Google Play or the App Store, to control white light from 2200K warm...

DENVER—Scott Milne*, Lead Energy Auditor and Commercial Consultant for Denver-based Rocky Mountain Efficiency Group, has launched the Elite Room concept to give hoteliers—“even the Days Inns of the World are looking for a solution,” he says—a leg up on their competition in the race to provide the safest and cleanest rooms for guests. “You have got to make people think your guestrooms are cleaner than their own home,” says Milne, a LEED GA. Now available, the Elite Room package consists of elements ranging from air purification to room disinfection to filtering chlorine from the shower you bathe in. “I came up...

NEW YORK—EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, is launching a first-of-its-kind Carbon Action Module that’s designed to reduce emissions across the supply chain and enable organizations to step up their fight against climate change. The solution will be revealed during Climate Week NYC 2020. A recent EcoVadis analysis of 40,000 global organizations revealed a massive shortfall in supplier carbon reporting and action. The research found that most corporations today only address their direct and indirect emissions, while neglecting those that occur in the value chain. This represents an alarming and severe gap as value chain emissions, upstream...