by Shane Henson — November 2, 2012—In light of the fact that the energy bills of both small and large hotels could be substantially reduced if best-practice strategies were employed by management and employees to reduce conserve electricity, and in recognition of National Energy Awareness Month, Cintas Corporation has announced six tips to enable hoteliers to drive sustainability within their organizations while lowering utility bills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“On average, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that America’s 47,000 hotels spend $2,196 per available room each year on energy,” said Melanie Boyle, Manager of Sustainability for Cintas. “This number can be significantly reduced by reviewing current operations and introducing programs or services that conserve energy.”
Cintas suggests the following strategies for reducing energy usage in hotels:
- Deep clean air-conditioning (AC) units: Because properly cleaned AC units transfer air more efficiently and at a higher rate of speed (airflow) than those not properly cleaned, they require far less energy consumption to run. For example, by regularly deep cleaning packaged terminal air conditioner units to effectively remove dirt and bacteria buildup from the units, hoteliers can reduce energy consumption by as much as 17 percent.
- Use environmentally friendly apparel: From blouses, polos and pants to entire suiting collections and even tuxedos, today’s hoteliers can select from an abundance of eco-friendly uniforms and apparel. Made from post-consumer material such as water bottles, these garments require less energy to manufacture and reduce landfill waste and CO2 emissions.
- Consider a uniform rental program: Unlike on-site washing systems, the laundry facilities used by uniform rental providers often use less water and require less energy and chemicals. For example, new innovations, such as heat-air recycling and heat re-claimers, significantly cut down the amount of electricity and energy needed to launder materials. In addition, many uniform rental providers reduce garment drying time through modern moisture measurement methods, significantly saving fossil fuel and related greenhouse gas emissions.
- Consider an energy efficiency rebate program: Many hoteliers today achieve considerable cost and energy savings by taking advantage of energy efficiency incentive programs. For example, California’s LodgingSavers program—implemented by Ecology Action—provides hoteliers with rebates of up to 80 percent of lighting costs and 100 percent of guestroom energy management system costs and energy efficient vending machine controllers, showerheads and pool pumps. Often state-based, these programs start by surveying a hotel for free and offering up a customized proposal that outlines ways to save energy. Once approved by the hotelier, a highly trained contractor makes installations, and rebates are paid directly to the contractor to minimize capital outlay.
- Consider a partnership with the EPA: The EPA offers a voluntary public-private partnership called ENERGY STAR that helps businesses quickly reduce their energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions. By measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings, and rewarding improvements, the ENERGY STAR program is an easy way for hoteliers to quickly implement initiatives that save energy and reduce costs.
- Recycle: Because less energy is typically needed to make a product from recycled material, recycling presents a sure-fire way for organizations to help conserve energy. From packaging and paper to hard drives and CDs, hotels can protect their sensitive business information and the environment by implementing a document management program for secure mobile or off-site recycling and destruction.
