TECHNOLOGY : ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Spend to save
Modern energy management technology and alternative energy sources don ’ t come cheap , but hoteliers should at least begin with the basics .
Contributed by Brendan Manley
Now more than ever , going green goes a long way toward keeping a hotel in the black . Steps toward decreasing and managing energy and resource usage , as well as a property ’ s carbon footprint , aren ’ t just ecologically responsible — they ’ re good business .
Experts say once owners get past the initial costs of installing energy-thrifty technologies in their hotels , savings are usually immediately noticeable . From a range of recent innovations like LED lighting and cloud server technology to the more traditional approaches of inroom climate control and water-saving protocols , hotels can save big — even if that means spending now to save later .
“ The financial structure of having to invest first and get the returns from lower operational costs over the future years seems to still be an obstacle in many cases ,” says Horst Kreuter , CEO of Kempinski Renewable Energy ( KREEN ), a recently created energy management subsidiary of Geneva , Switzerland-based Kempinski Hotels . “ Usually the investment costs in renewable energy solutions are higher than the conventional solutions , but in the end operational costs will decline — with no risk of exploding fuel prices .”
Kempinski partnered with
Marshfield Energy Switzerland and ÜWG Engineering GmbH to launch KREEN this year to offer owners consulting , planning and project management for implementing renewable energy sources , tying in with the company ’ s own strategies for energy efficiency . The primary objective is to integrate renewable energy as much as possible into a hotel ’ s energy supply , accounting for local factors .
“ In some regions — in Africa , or on an island — local energy costs are extremely high ,” Kreuter explains . “ In these countries it is absolutely no problem to be competitive with renewable energies — especially because of the sun and the wind there . Solar heating and cooling as well as geothermal energy can also contribute .”
Kreuter says another logistical challenge can be the laws applicable to the area surrounding a hotel , which may restrict the use of some equipment . The key is to strike a balance between hardware and nature .
“ Hotels — especially when in a splendid natural environment — have to apply the renewable energy installations in a respectful way , and sometimes it ’ s necessary to create new solutions ,” Kreuter says .
One recent noteworthy example of green hotel design is the Crowne Plaza Changi Hotel in Singapore , which opened in 2008 . The entire building is sheathed in an external architectural glass fiber-reinforced gypsum screen that acts as a sun-shading device , but there ’ s more inside : Features like two large courtyards on the third floor act as heat insulators for the floors below ; centralized heat recovery pumps generate hot water and cool air recovery pipes cool untreated fresh air ; nearly all public lighting is either CFL or LED ; the hotel installed JEMFlo water flow controllers for a 45 % water and hot water energy savings ; and the hotel even boasts energy-efficient elevators and escalators .
“ There is always room to improve ,” says Hoyce Ho , director of engineering for Asia and energy management for Asia Australasia for IHG . “ We found that LED lamps available in the market are getting better in terms of lumen output , efficacy , color temperature and overall lighting quality at a more affordable price . The hotel now plans to replace all remaining incandescent and halogen lamps with LED lamps in the next 12 months .”
Computing on a cloud Carbon emissions have become vital
54 HOTELS June 2012 www . hotelsmag . com