EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Excel Dryer, Inc. announced that three of their hand dryers, the original, patented, high-speed, energy-efficient XLERATOR Hand Dryer, the XLERATOReco Hand Dryer and the ThinAir Hand Dryer, were evaluated, and their environmental claims, substantiated with the publication of the hand dryer industry’s first Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). An Environmental Product Declaration is a standardized way of quantifying the environmental impact of a product by studying the raw materials and energy consumption during its production, use and disposal. For buyers and specifiers, the EPDs are a disclosure tool that helps purchasers better understand a product’s sustainable qualities and environmental repercussions so they can make...

NEW YORK—Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Lisette Camilo announced the 50th installation of Wireless Pneumatic Thermostats, a sustainable technology that will save time, money and energy in older buildings. As part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal to transform New York City’s municipal buildings for a low-carbon future, as outlined in One City, Built to Last, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has identified, tested and vetted this new innovative wireless digital thermostat. The Wireless Pneumatic Thermostats, or WPT, technology is from Cypress Envirosystems and can be installed in a fraction of the time and cost compared to...

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Excel Dryer, Inc., creator of the high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer category, announced the publication of the industry’s first dry time and energy use results in compliance with the first global Product Category Rule (PCR) published by UL Environment (a business division of Underwriters’ Laboratories). SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company was selected by Excel Dryer to test the XLERATOR Hand Dryer models. The original, patented, high-speed, energy-efficient XLERATOR Hand Dryer recorded an 8 second dry time and 3.7 Wh of energy per use while the XLERATOReco Hand Dryer recorded 10 seconds, 1.7 Wh,...

SAUSALITO, CALIF.—Is a spa-like shower experience with 90 percent less water consumption and 80 percent less energy consumption possible in a hotel guestroom shower? According to shower system innovator Orbital Systems, it has proven to be very possible—thanks to founder Mehrdad Mahdjoubi’s work with the NASA Mars missions. The company that has U.S. offices in Sausalito, Calif. says it already has 45 installations, including some hotels. The U.S. version of the Oas shower will be available in mid-September. “When an Orbital is recycling the water, it goes into a receptacle that analyzes the purity of the water. That purity is...

PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA—Honeywell successfully implemented its networked Building Management and Energy Management Systems at the new Crown Towers Hotel, which is an expansion of the Crown complex in Perth, Australia. The Honeywell Enterprise Building Integrator (EBI) and Building Management System (BMS) are integrated with Honeywell’s INNCOM guestroom Energy Management System (EMS) to optimize enterprise building controls, improve energy efficiency, and coordinate access controls, lighting and drapes. The INNCOM system is also implemented at Crown Perth’s Promenade Hotel. At the recently completed Crown Towers, Honeywell provided all Building Management System (BMS), guestroom management (GRMS), security and access control, dry fire, and...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Solar America Solutions as a Founding Sponsor. Solar America Solutions offers affordable solar thermal energy to hotel facilities and operations. The company’s SunQuest 250 easily retrofits into almost any existing hot water or space heat system and is proven to work extremely well in cloudy and cold conditions. Third generation and patented SunQuest 250 solar thermal collectors are 96% efficient and are a mechanically simple system with only one moving part. Solar America Solutions’ solar collectors are warranted for 10 years against 1″ hail and 150 MPH winds...

HANCOCK, MASS.—In 2007, when Jiminy Peak installed a $4 million 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine on the western flank of its mountain, many thought the 70-year-old resort was taking a huge financial risk. Last month, 10 years after the switch was thrown, Brian Fairbank, Chairman of The Fairbank Group that runs the resort, looks back at a risk worth taking. The 253-ft. high turbine paid for itself in seven years, and today, combined with a 12-acre 2.3 megawatt (MW) solar field and 75 kWh cogeneration unit at the slopeside Country Inn at Jiminy Peak, the resort can claim to be...

WESTBOROUGH, MASS.—Save Energy Systems, an energy-efficiency services company that reduces HVAC expenses for commercial and industrial businesses, announced numerous significant feature updates to its patented Demand-Limiting Controller HVAC management system. These enhancements provide even greater control and precision of the climate in different zones of a building, the ability to detect the optimum conditions to cycle down HVAC compressors, machine learning of optimal start-up times, and duct supply temperature monitoring to prevent coil freeze-up. “The Demand-Limiting Controller is already the smartest investment any small to medium-sized business can make to slash energy costs while improving climate conditions for occupants,” said...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS–Industry awards continue to stack up for Friedrich Air Conditioning Company’s VRP (Variable Refrigerant Packaged) Heat Pump system. Most recently, Friedrich’s VRP system was named a Silver Award Winner for Excellence in the Indoor Air Quality category by The Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration News (ACHR News) magazine. Friedrich was honored as part of the magazine’s 14th annual Dealer Design Awards Program, as judged by an independent panel of contractors. Unlike other systems, VRP is earning notoriety as a total HVAC solution that utilizes a Precision Inverter compressor that gives it exceptional performance, increased efficiencies of up to...

WINDHAM, VERMONT—If a building becomes as one as possible with its surrounding environment, can it be energy self-sufficient? Yes, it certainly can. Just ask Bob Shannon, President of The Fourth Corner Foundation, Inc., the nonprofit that runs A Stone Wall Inn in Windham, Vermont. Shannon, an architect with two degrees from Yale University, first thought about the 10-room inn on 12 acres in 1969. The three-building inn with a post-modernist feel is heated entirely by solar energy and wood stoves. Every aspect and angle of the well-insulated inn was designed to maximize the power of the sun. “We are making...