Introduction

Energy Use

The hospitality industry spends $5 billion dollars every year on energy and consumes almost four billion kWhs of electricity, five million therms of natural gas and seven billion gallons of water. Florida's tourism industry, with more than 41 million visitors, creates an enormous demand on the state's energy resources.2 Managing energy performance represents a significant opportunity for Florida's hotels and motels to save operating costs, as well as decrease its impact on natural resources. Energy savings represent the number one way of reducing costs without reducing customer satisfaction.

Energy Use Profile

Cooling, lighting, water heating/cooking/refrigeration and ventilation account for 85% of total electric usage in hotels and motels. Reducing electricity consumption in theses equipment areas may mean considerable energy and cost savings.

Typical Equipment Usage (% of KWh)

Chart by Florida Power and Light.

Hotel/Motel Electricity Profile

Chart by Florida Power and Light.

Cost savings

Energy savings means cost savings. Energy is a controllable cost and many organizations are realizing the cost-benefits of energy reduction. Hotel energy costs can consume from 4% to 7% of a property's revenue, which for many properties is more than their profit margin. If hotels improved their energy performance by an average of 30%, the annual electricity bill savings would be nearly $1.5 billion. This represents a savings of approximately $365 per available room night per year for every hotel room in the country. According the Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting, a 10 % reduction in energy costs is equivalent to increasing occupancy points by 1.04 and increasing average daily rate by 1.6 % for a full-service hotel.

Every $1 in energy savings is the equivalent of increasing operating margins by $2 to $3. Energy Star® Award winner Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was able save to $3.4 million in energy costs, equivalent to renting 9,370 additional rooms, by implementing an energy management program.

Environmental Benefits

The benefits of energy efficiency are not financial alone. 2001 Energy Star® Award Winner Hilton Hotels’ energy management plan resulted in a savings of nearly 43 million kWh of electricity per year and the prevention of 65 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - the equivalent of removing 6,450 cars from the road in the year 2000.

Guests

Many hotel guests are looking for environmentally friendly hotels or motels. Hotels can enhance the image of their property by showing visible signs of environmental management such as recycling bins or compact fluorescent lights. Hotels that practice energy efficiency, water conservation, and recycling; save dollars and encourage environmentally sensitive guests to choose their hotel over the competition.

Energy Management Plan

Energy management in the hotel and motel industry presents unique challenges because of the around-the-clock services that are provided. However, improving energy performance offers long-term, low-risk returns, reductions in energy consumption and costs, increases in worker productivity, and improved asset value; few other investments can do all that.

Achieving sustained energy performance requires organizations to commit to an ongoing, integrated, systematic approach to energy management and a commitment from the top management. An energy management plan offers hotels and motels a clear picture of energy use patterns in each area or department. The Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Plan Steps include: identifying opportunities, developing an action plan, conducting a detailed feasibility study, and promoting success. Local utilities, ESCOs (Energy Saving Companies) or engineering firms can also be a great resource for energy management plans. According to the Florida Energy Extension Service, energy use in Florida hotels that participated in an active energy management program dropped an average of 23 %.

Energy Star®

Making Energy Star® equipment a part of your energy management plan can significantly reduce energy consumption. The Energy Star® brand identifies energy-efficient products and promotes energy performance that saves energy and protects the environment.9 Energy Star® is a program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is a dynamic voluntary government and industry partnership.

Green Power Partnership

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has developed the Green Power Partnership to encourage organizations to use green power as a part of best-practice environmental management. Green power is electricity that is generated from resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro facilities. According to EPA, “conventional electricity generation, based on the combustion of fossil fuels, is the nation's single largest industrial source of air pollution.” Hotels can reduce energy consumption and the environmental impacts of conventional electricity generation by beginning to use renewable energy technologies or Green Power.

Building Envelope

Heating and cooling loss, as well as solar heat gain, through the building envelope can contribute to an increase in energy consumption. The following suggestions can reduce energy loss through the building envelope:

1. Keep doors and windows closed when not in use.
   Open doors and windows allow heated and cooled air to escape and outside air to enter, which requires more energy to keep building at desired temperature.
2. Replace damaged weather-stripping on doors and windows with caulk.
   Damaged weather-stripping allows inside air to leak and outside air to enter, which requires more energy to keep building at desired temperature.
3. Install energy efficient windows.
   Energy efficient windows used in either new or retrofit situations can cut annual HVAC energy costs by up to 15 % if properly installed.
4. Add window film to windows to reduce energy loss and solar heat emissions through windows. Consider double paned windows.
   According to Florida Power & Light, energy efficient windows can cut annual energy costs by up to 15 %.
   The windows you choose can make a significant difference in your energy consumption. Types of window treatment include, standard glazing, tinted glazing, reflective glazing, spectrally selective glazings, retrofittable window films, and insulated glazing.13 Films reduce cooling loads, improve shatter resistance, block up to 99 % of ultraviolet radiation, and reduce glare.
5. Evaluate insulation in ceilings and add insulation as needed.
   Insulation can be one of the most important factors in achieving energy efficiency in a building. It works primarily to slow the flow of heat through a building envelope. Insulation not only saves money by reducing heating and cooling loads but also is a key factor in achieving comfortable living and working spaces.
6. Consider installing white or reflective roofing.
   White or reflective roofing helps reflect heat and keep buildings cool.

Lighting

Lighting is a significant source of energy expenditure in hotels. According to Florida Power & Light Company, interior lighting accounts for 19% of electric usage in hotels and motels and exterior lighting accounts for 4%.3 Upgrading lighting offers a high-return, low-risk investment. Following are suggestions for reducing energy consumption from lighting:

1. Replace standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or other high energy efficient lighting.
   Incandescent lamps make up 48% of lamp inventory, fluorescent lamps account for 34%, and compact fluorescent lamps account for 15%.3 Less than 5% of energy used by incandescent lamps generates useful light. The rest is waste heat which also increases air conditioning costs. Compact fluorescents use much less energy than incandescent bulbs and need replacing far less often, making them a cost-effective choice. They require about one-third to one-fourth the electricity of incandescent lamps and last 10 to 20 times longer. Many hotels have realized a significant decrease in energy consumption by making small changes such as replacing standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.
2. Use the lowest wattage lamp necessary.
   Using no more light than necessary reduces lighting energy consumption.
3. Use energy-saving fluorescent T8 lamps over old-style T12 lamps.
   The energy-saving T8 lamps are considerably thinner than the old-style T12 lamps. The designation reflects the diameter of the lamp in eighths of an inch. So, a T8 is one-inch, while the T12 is one-and-a-half inches. A typical fluorescent fixture with two T12 lamps uses 96 watts. Electronic ballast with two T8 lamps uses only 62 watts while producing the same amount of light with much better color rendition.
4. Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.
   Create reminder cards for guests and staff to turn off lights when leaving a room.
5. Consider using natural daylight where possible.
   Using natural light can reduce lighting energy consumption; however, heat loss may occur in winter and heat gain may occur in summer with open draperies and shades.
6. Clean bulbs for maximum efficiency.
   Bulbs will produce more light after cleaning.
7. Use dimmer controls in meeting rooms.
   Dimmers control light output so that no more light than necessary is produced thereby reducing lighting energy consumption.
8. Use occupancy sensors to detect the presence or absence of people and turn lights on and off accordingly.
   Occupancy sensors may reduce lighting energy consumption by 50 % or more in some circumstances. They are used most effectively in spaces that are often unoccupied, including some offices, warehouses, storerooms, restrooms, loading docks, corridors, stairwells, office lounges, and conference rooms. Open-plan office spaces, where one or more people may be moving in and out throughout the course of the workday, are not good candidates for occupancy sensors.
9. Use an energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) night light to eliminate the need to leave bathroom lights on throughout the night.
   Berkley Lab lighting researchers conducting a Department of Energy funded study, found that one of the “largest energy-saving opportunities in guestroom lighting is eliminating the unnecessary extended operation of the bathroom fixtures. More than 75 % of the energy used by these fixtures occurs when they are left on for more than two hours at a time.”
10. Replace incandescent lamps in exit signs with light-emitting diode exit signs.
    
    LEDs are estimated to last 220,000 hours. Over a 10-year period, first costs, energy expenditures, and maintenance requirements for an incandescent sign will run around $380, while a comparable LED unit with a 10-year life would incur overall costs of about $65. Energy Star® exit signs use up to 75% less energy.
11. Eliminate or reduce external lighting not needed for safety or security.
    Guest and staff safety and security are the first priority; however, reducing or eliminating external lighting can save lighting energy consumption. External lighting costs can be reduced by using photo-cell or time clock controls by automatically turning off lights when not needed.
12. Utilize light colored walls and ceilings.
    Light colored walls and ceilings as appropriate increase in light levels by 15% to 50%.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

According to Florida Power & Light Company, HVAC consumes 56% of total electric usage in hotels and motels and accounts for 10.8 kWh/square foot.3 The following conservation measures can help decrease HVAC energy consumption:

1. Set Thermostat.
   Recommend 78 to 85 degrees in cooling season; 65 to 55 degrees in heating season in unoccupied public spaces and vacant rooms.
2. Enclose and lock thermostats in public areas.
   
   Keeping staff and guests from tampering with thermostats will help control heating and cooling costs.
3. Turn off heating and cooling in unoccupied guest rooms.
   Turning off heating and cooling systems in unoccupied guest rooms will help reduce costs without affecting the comfort of guests and staff.
4. Use natural light when cleaning guest rooms and keep the draperies and shades closed in unoccupied rooms.
   Be sure that housekeeping closes draperies when leaving the room. This will reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer.
5. Perform scheduled maintenance on HVAC equipment.
   Conducting scheduled maintenance will increase performance and decrease energy use.
6. Clean condenser and evaporator coils.
   A very thin layer of dust reduces efficiency. Make this a part of your preventative maintenance schedule. Recommend cleaning every six months.
7. Check and clean HVAC filters.
   Regular cleaning of HVAC filters can improve efficiency. Check and clean at least two times a year.
8. Keep windows and doors closed when not in use.
   Open doors and windows allow heated and cooled air to escape and outside air to enter, which requires more energy to keep building at desired temperature.
9. Consider using ceiling fans in public areas.
   Using ceiling fans can reduce cooling costs.
10. Keep windows and doors closed when not in use.
    Open doors and windows allow heated and cooled air to escape and outside air to enter, which requires more energy to keep building at desired temperature.
11. Connect bathroom fans to light switches to reduce excessive operation.
    Fans that operate continuously remove excessive amounts of heated or cooled air from guest rooms.
12. Install timers on bathroom heat lamps so they turn off when not needed.
    This is more energy efficient than separate heating for bathrooms. (For hotels that use wall units for heat and air.)
13. Use shading to reduce solar heat through windows.
    
    Shading is the most cost-effective way to reduce solar heat gain and cut air-conditioning costs.
14. Section off the hotel or motel so you can close down areas that are unoccupied during periods of low occupancy.
    One hotel in the Hilton Hotels Corporation was able to save almost $270,000 per year in energy costs after the installation of digital thermostats that monitor room occupancy and automatically adjust the temperature when occupants enter or exit a room.
15. Consider installing an Energy Management System.
    An Energy Management System (EMS) is a program that allows operators to monitor the building’s energy load. The most common use is monitoring the HVAC. An EMS usually includes a computer, an energy management software program, sensors and controls, and in larger systems, a communications network. An energy management system can save 10% to 40% on electric bills.
16. Consider purchasing new equipment.
    Desiccant cooling and dehumidification - Desiccants absorb water and release it again when heated. Desiccants can provide dehumidification and can also extend the application of evaporative coolers into more humid climates.
    MASIS - Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory invented an aerosol-based system called MASIS for sealing the ducts of large commercial buildings. MASIS stands for “mobile aerosol-sealant injection system” and seals ducts which reduces energy loss.

Water Heating

A 1994 survey of Florida hotels and motels showed that water heating (including swimming pools) is the largest single user at 38.5% of the total annual energy use.11 In combination with water conservation measures, the following suggestions for reducing water heating will decrease a hotel’s energy consumption:

1. Consider an ozone laundry system.
   These systems clean using cold water and less chemicals.
2. Consider a solar water heating system.
   Solar water heating systems can dramatically reduce energy and maintenance cost at hotels, which use a lot of hot water. Check and see if the 10% tax credit and accelerated depreciation is still offered.
3. Operate laundry equipment with full loads only.
   Partial loads waste hot water and the energy used to heat the water.
4. Lower water heater temperatures.
   The Florida Energy Extension Service recommends reducing domestic hot water temperature to 110-120 degrees F at the water heater.
5. Insulate hot water heater tanks.
   Except for reducing the amount of hot water used, tank insulation may be the best energy conservation opportunity. Insulation kits cost as little as $10 to $20 and will pay for themselves in energy savings in 12 months or less.
6. Insulate hot water pipes.
   In a system with about 200 feet of piping, good insulation will save approximately $15 to $25 per year.
7. Repair leaking faucets.
   A hot water faucet dripping at a rate of 1 gallon an hour consumes $30 to $120 in energy.
8. Replace inefficient water heating systems.
   High efficiency equipment may be more expensive than average efficiency units, but the higher initial outlay can be recovered through increased energy savings.
9. Consider purchasing new equipment.
   Solar water heating systems for preheating swimming pools and spas.
   Tankless water heaters can save energy by eliminating the standby energy losses suffered by tank water heaters.
   Drain water heat recovery systems save energy by using the heat in drains to preheat water coming into the water heater.
   Water-saving, horizontal-axis washing machines, also called front-loading washing machines, save energy, water, and money.

10. Reduce water temperature for hand washing to 110°F from 140°F.
    Do not reduce the temperature of water serving dishwater.
11. Install low-flow showerheads to reduce the volume of hot water needed.
    

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
FDEP Web Site · 2600 Blair Stone Road · Tallahassee · Florida · 32399-2400
Florida Green Lodging Program · Program Contact Information
References · Acknowledgements · Disclaimer