NATIONAL REPORT—Traditional heating solutions in the winter months can break your budget. Plus, they aren’t good for the environment because they typically use some sort of fossil fuel. Using coal, oil, or natural gas to heat your hotel can harm the environment, including contributing to global warming, causing air pollution, and increasing the chance for an oil spill. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly way to heat your hotel once the weather turns chilly, you’re in luck. There are several different ways you can heat your hotel without harming the environment. Some of these methods may even save you money. Heat...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Carrier has added a host of new capabilities to its Carrier Chillers mobile app allowing consulting and facilities engineers to select chillers faster and easier. Using cloud technology, the app automatically updates and in just three steps users can obtain key technical data and product features for Carrier air-cooled and water-cooled chillers. “Capitalizing on recent advancements in technology, we have improved the functionality of the Carrier Chillers mobile app making it simpler for our customers to select the chiller they need with real-time accuracy,” said Chris Opie, Vice President, Product Marketing & Platform Strategy. “The updated technology can also...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Friedrich Air Conditioning Co., a leading U.S.-based manufacturer of heating, cooling and other room air-conditioning products, has launched a Spanish-speaking Technical and Customer service line, making it among the first in the industry to offer a dedicated service specifically for Spanish-speaking customers. The Spanish-speaking line is available by calling Friedrich’s main customer service line, 1-800-541-6645, and selecting option 9. It will operate Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, the same hours and days as Friedrich’s other customer service phone line. “The goal is to help ensure all of our installers, contractors and customers get the assistance...

Did you know that you breathe over 11,000 liters of air a day? If you’re reading this, you will probably spend around 2,000 hours per year breathing the air in the office for which you are about to sign that lease.  This year alone, you will bring into your lungs over 900,000 liters of whatever is in the air of that cool new office space. Would you drink 900,000 liters of water if I said, “I actually have no idea what’s in it or how long it has been sitting in this room…but it’s fairly clear and doesn’t really...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added ChemxWorks to its Green Product & Service Directory. The company’s D-CARBONATOR soak tank removes carbon buildup and the worst fats, oil and grease (F.O.G.) from kitchen equipment (aluminum baking pans, hood filters, baking racks, floor mats and more) using heated water in combination with safe, eco-friendly and proprietary detergent CarbonZyme. The D-CARBONATOR operates at a temperature of 185˚F/85˚C. Equipment removed from the unit is fully sanitized and bacteria free. It saves on labor, utilities, water, equipment and chemicals. The D-CARBONATOR is 12 times less costly to operate than a 3-compartment sink and cleans better...

Unfortunately, I have written about carbon monoxide deaths in hotels far too often—most recently last November. The past few weeks I have read about two more incidents at hotels. First, in late June, two men were found dead by a third guest staying in the room at the Best Western Hotel in Asheville, N.C. Police suspect the cause of the deaths to be carbon monoxide poisoning. According to an unsealed warrant, Asheville fire chief Shane Mackey suspects a utility room behind the room was the source of the carbon monoxide. The utility room contained two water heaters and two...

One of the most important words to look for when considering energy-efficient equipment for your hotel is “variable.” I come across it often. In some cases, the technology has been available for years; in other cases, not. The main idea with “variable” is to not be running on 100 percent all the time. This past week in my feature on the very green Revisn aparthotel in Raleigh, N.C. you will see mention of a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heating and air-conditioning system. By operating at varying speeds, heat recovery VRF units work only at the needed rate allowing for...

RALEIGH, N.C.—Almost seven months since opening in Raleigh’s Glenwood South district, business at Revisn has been great and the aparthotel has been at full capacity, says Dicky Walia, CEO and Managing Director of Welcome Holdings which developed the “green” Revisn brand. Large corporations are renting the residences. According to Welcome Holdings, Revisn combines the “spacious comfort and relaxing convenience of a luxury executive apartment residence with the hospitality of a boutique hotel.” What Revisn also does is provide guests with a low-carbon experience thanks to its high-tech approach to power generation and heating and cooling. Atop the 48-unit building is...

WAUKESHA, WIS.—The installation of an energy management system (EMS) is an investment that pays for itself over time (typically two to five years), by reducing energy consumption and streamlining workflows. Engineers at Telkonet, Inc. analyzed the primary factors that affect EMS payback. They did this by looking at over 10 years’ worth of granular data about customer energy usage. Telkonet identified five primary drivers of EMS project payback. The company set out to learn which are the most powerful drivers affecting project payback. Telkonet gathered 10+ years of real-time savings data, and analyzed the following elements that affect each of its...

KENNESAW, GA.—Carrier recently invited its channel partners and Controls Expert contractors to participate in the Carrier Controls Expert Expo in Orlando, Fla. Carrier Controls Expert contractors are certified professionals who install, service and deliver Carrier’s i-Vu building automation system. The Expo is part of the Carrier Controls Expert continuing education training program that launched in 2013 and currently has more than 600 certified contractors in over 20 countries. Carrier, a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. More than...