The
excuses are starting to dwindle, especially when it comes to the basics
of curbing energy use. For years, the excuses to not change over to
compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) have been plentiful. The squiggly
bulbs are too ugly. They don’t allow for dimming and mood lighting.
They aren’t bright enough.
However, modern CFL bulbs come in all shapes and sizes. There are energy-efficient lighting options that allow
dimming
controls and room designs in all sorts of configurations. And then
there are LEDs, often touted as the new wave in energy-efficient
lighting. These lighting solutions may cost more but they certainly
allow for more options.
Likewise, water is one of the most
wasted elements in a hotel, especially when it comes to laundry
operations. Due to costs and doubts about their effectiveness, recycled
water systems for laundry have been slow to become commonplace in the
industry. Further examination, however, of the possible conservation
benefits and the cost savings, as well as the move to seek LEED
certification by many hotels, has brought the idea of investing in
recycled water systems back into the minds of hoteliers.
Over
the next few pages we take a look at energy conservation options for
both lighting and water usage. It’s possible that by simply starting
your green efforts by addressing these basic functions you may gain
savings that can put you on the fast track to a more certifiably green
operation.
Beyond the Neon Lights
Technology for lighting goes beyond squiggly bulbs.
by Jennifer Vishnevsky
As
hotels continue the push to go green, one main area of focus is moving
away from compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). According to Scott
Parisi, CHA, president of EcoGreenHotels, a consulting firm that
specializes in helping hotels make their operations more
environmentally friendly, LEDs are the future. “LEDs are somewhat cost
prohibitive now, but they are moving fast.
We do still recommend CFLs, but LEDs offer more solutions,” he says. For example, a 100-watt CFL can be
replaced with seven watts of LED, which offers a savings on wattage and pricing.
And
while CFLs are still used and recommended, Parisi encourages users to
be properly informed about mercury and bulb disposal. “For the
environment, we’re leaning more towards LED than CFL. It’s just pricing
at this point that is holding it back,” he says. However, LED use does
show a return on investment. Parisi predicts hotels will see more of a
return in approximately one year.
According to the U.S. Energy
Information Administration, lighting uses the most electricity in a
hospitality facility. Therefore, going green with light control
solutions reduces energy usage dramatically.
One product that is
creating new standards in green lighting is Stanza, a new lighting
control system from Lutron. One of the key energy-saving aspects of the
system is the dimmer. Dimmed lighting increases bulb life, saves money,
and reduces waste. “Dimmers are basically energy management devices,
that can save energy on a sliding scale,” says Lutron’s Michael
Llewellyn. By using wallbox personal lighting controls, a hotel is able
to reduce operating costs and save energy. “If you dial the light down
50 percent, there is a savings of 50 percent,” Llewellyn adds.
Rooms are also outfitted with daylight sensors that dim the lights when
the sun is coming in. This sensor integrates with the lighting control
system to save energy and take advantage of sunlight.
Beyond
energy conservation, advances in lighting technology work to improve
the guest experience by giving them control of their lighting. One
trademark of Stanza is the keypads that customize the level of lighting
in the room. Stanza keypads, switches and lamp modules allow users to
control the lights in a room from multiple locations, depending on
their preference. Llewellyn echoes the importance of focusing on the
guest and the environment. “You have a very fine balance to strike
between satisfying amenities, saving energy, and running an efficient
property,” he says.
The Hotel Arista at CityGate Centre in
Naperville, Ill., has welcomed the benefits of personal lighting
controls. “It gives the guest the opportunity, at the push of a button,
to turn off all the lights and turn them back on,” says Jeffrey
Wardlaw, general manager and COO of Hotel Arista. “And so not only are
we asking our guests to be environmentally sensitive, but we’re doing
it in a way that makes it easier for them to go to bed. It also makes
it easy for them to remain environmenatlly friendly as they depart.”
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Reclamation Project
Recycled water can save
a load of wasted energy.
by Len Vermillion
We
all know it—we’re lucky. We get to live on this magnificent blue sphere
that is perfectly positioned in relation to the sun. And we all know
that the precision orbit the Earth travels, as well as the fragile
protection surrounding its skies, are keys to sustaining water on the
planet. And we all know that water is the heart and soul of the Earth’s
environment. Unfortunately, it’s also the one part of the environment
that is
usually wasted the most.
But it doesn’t have to be
that way. There are benefits to water conservation, and recycled water
can help us save more resources, use less energy and, as a side
advantage, lower our bills. The question is, what’s taking so long for
it to become widely practiced.
In the lodging industry, there
are a myriad of reasons. However, one of the biggest reasons hotels
have been slow to adopt recycled water for operations such as laundry
systems, has been, well, they just weren’t sure it does any good.
“There’s
a lot of stigma out there as to whether recycling wastewater works
because there have been products out there that haven’t worked,” says
Jeff Lebedin, president of AquaRecycle, a Marietta, Ga.-based company
that manufacturers water recycling systems for commercial laundry use.
“In the hotel industry, the hold up has been that it depends on the
size of the property and how much laundry is going to be done that
dictates the size of the payback [in terms of energy savings].”
In
lodging, laundry systems are usually one of the biggest culprits of
energy waste. By addressing that area, the payback can be evident
quickly. Installing a system that recycles to wastewater from one
laundry load to be used in the next, not only saves water costs, but
also sewer energy costs. “That all makes the return on investment start
to look better and better,” Lebedin says.
Lebedin admits that
water-recycling systems aren’t the easiest things to install, which has
also contributed to slow adoption. “It’s a long process,” he says. “Our
systems start at $50,000 and not everyone can justify that cost.
Usually hotels with 300 rooms or more that are full-service are the
most likely candidates.”
That’s why you’re more likely to find
these systems at high-end hotels such as those operated by The
Ritz-Carlton or Host Hotels & Resorts, two of Lebedin’s largest
customers. However, smaller properties have started to come calling,
especially now that many are looking to achieve LEED certification.
And,
done correctly, the systems do conserve water and energy. Lebedin
estimates that recycling water in the laundry process can reduce the
amount of water used by 80 percent. “That can translate into an 80
percent savings on water and sewer costs,” Lebedin says, “and then it
cuts the energy costs by 50 percent.”
The energy savings comes
from the fact that the wastewater that is reused is already heated.
“About 75 percent of laundry loads require hot or warm water,” Lebedin
says. “We can cut the energy used to heat the water by 50 percent.”
And that’s good news for both hotel managers and the environment.
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