WAUKESHA, WIS.—Telkonet, Inc., creator of the EcoSmart platform of intelligent room automation solutions supporting the emerging Internet of Things (IoT), will introduce a new wireless thermostat, the EcoTouch+ Battery, at the 2017 AHR Expo. Part of the EcoSmart platform, the EcoTouch+ Battery features a user-friendly glass touch screen that offers customers the opportunity to optimize energy efficiency while also enjoying easy, wire-free installation. “The EcoSmart platform is a full suite of wirelessly integrated devices designed to work together to maximize energy efficiency to achieve cost savings,” said Jason Tienor, CEO, Telkonet. “The new EcoTouch+ Battery is another option for customers...

LONDONDERRY, N.H.—Bosch Thermotechnology Corp. announced a new line of tankless gas condensing water heaters. The Bosch Greentherm 9000 Series offers nine models for high-efficiency domestic hot water in residential or commercial applications, adding new features for easy installation, operation and maintenance. The Consumer Technology Association recently recognized the Greentherm 9900i SE model as a CES 2017 Innovation Awards Honoree. The Greentherm 9000 Series features an Energy Factor of 0.99 with Thermal Efficiency of 100 percent, which is the highest in the industry for condensing gas water heaters. This series achieves temperature stability of plus or minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit through...

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIF.—Noritz America has announced the promotion of company veteran Jay Hassel from his current post as Vice President of Sales and Marketing to President and Chief Operating Officer. Hassel thus becomes the first American to serve as president for Noritz’s North American subsidiary. He succeeds Hisashi Uryu, who retains the title of Chief Executive Officer while also returning to the parent company in Japan to serve as an officer for Noritz Corp., based in Kobe, Japan. In the wake of these changes, Noritz America has announced two other key management promotions: • Sr. Marketing and Customer Care Manager Jason Fleming...

December 8 was an important day for MGM Resorts International. It was then that it officially opened the LEED Gold MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. The 308-room property is located minutes from Washington, D.C. The MGM National Harbor is MGM Resorts International’s ninth LEED certification. Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for MGM Resorts International, said in a press release that the hotel exemplifies MGM’s long-standing effort to implement sustainable and responsible practices across its resorts. I spoke with Todd Megrath, Executive Director of Sustainable Development, MGM Resorts International, about the new property and he...

Cary, N.C.—The Umstead Hotel and Spa, a five-star property located just outside Raleigh, N.C., has selected Evolve Controls and Intelity to deploy a fully integrated wireless room control and guest services solution through hotel tablets. This innovative approach is designed to enhance each guest’s stay at the property by combining the power of in-room control features with convenient access to hotel services and information through tablets provided to each guestroom. The Evolve Controls Connected Room Solution allows guests to manage their environment by wirelessly controlling in-room temperature and lighting through Intelity’s intuitive ICE Bedside guest engagement platform. In addition to Evolve’s...

NATIONAL REPORT—Earlier this year, in September, Green Lodging News reported on a field study of rack and flight conveyor warewashers conducted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company Food Service Technology Center (FSTC). That study documented the energy and water savings and economic benefits of replacing an old inefficient warewasher with a new efficient or best-in-class warewasher. In this article Green Lodging News takes a look at what the leading suppliers of warewashers are currently offering and what makes their machines efficient from an energy, water and chemical perspective. Perhaps with no other water consuming machine in a hotel has there...

WAUKESHA, WIS.—EcoSmart by Telkonet has completed a three-year phased installation of its EcoInsight intelligent thermostats at the Ibis Hotel in Al Barsha, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The thermostats, which feature Recovery Time technology, help to better manage air-conditioning in guestrooms and are now installed in each of the property’s 480 guestrooms to help reduce wasted energy usage in unoccupied rooms. “Warm climates can pose a great challenge to multi-unit property managers trying to balance guest comfort and hard to achieve energy efficiency,” said Jason Tienor, President and CEO, Telkonet. “The EcoSmart platform provides property managers with the tools to be...

Hotel venues of all types contain many plug-in refrigeration and freezer units (“coolers”).  Examples include plug-in refrigerators and freezers in kitchen/foodservice areas, vending machines, ice machines, beverage merchandisers, and the like. These appliances contain a condenser coil unit that is responsible for rejecting to the atmosphere the heat that is extracted from the enclosure being cooled. To do this job effectively, these coils need to have good airflow so that good heat transfer is achieved. Unfortunately, since the coils are exposed to the atmosphere, they become progressively clogged with dust and other debris over time (see photo at right...

ODESSA, FLA. & SINGAPORE—Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, and Greenview, a leader in advancing hotel sustainability, have released the Green Lodging Trends Report 2016. The report details the results of the first annual Green Lodging Survey conducted earlier this year and is available at no cost by clicking here. The report is based on data from more than 2,000 hotels in 44 countries and covers topics ranging from air quality to energy management to staff involvement. The report includes results of more than 100 questions asked in 11 categories. Supporters of this year’s survey include The Arbor...

It’s no secret that the concerns towards the indoor air we breathe are growing, and as a result, people are doing something about it. That’s great news, because according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors. The EPA has also named indoor air quality as one of the top five health threats in the United States. So why the increased apprehension towards indoor air quality (IAQ)? The 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires Disease in New York City, which took 12 lives, was a wakeup call. But let’s look at evidence that affects...