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Hotel and Hospitality Industry
Hotels and other hospitality establishments are
large consumers of energy for heating, cooling and electricity.
They need to develop some form of energy efficiency
programme as part of their business plan and implement this to reduce
costs without detriment to their quality of service.
Employing easy to do measures that may not cost
you anything can make a cut in energy costs by up to 20%.
Key areas of energy use in the hotel and hospitality industry:
Heating
By far the largest area of energy use. All day heating and hot water
is often not needed. Keep an eye on controls and timer settings
- remember 1°C of overheating will increase your heating bills
by up to 8%. You can keep rooms at 14°C without any damp or
condensation problems.
Air conditioning
Another large energy user and often not needed in hotel rooms all
the time. Set air conditioning to come on only when the temperature
reaches 24°C. Keep doors and windows closed to reduce costs
even more.
Lighting
Accounts for 20% of energy costs and is often a neglected expense.
Use energy efficient light bulbs to save up to 70% of electricity
lighting charges. Colour code label light switches to enable staff
to know what to switch off - don’t illuminate the whole building
all of the time.
Refrigeration
Expensive and needs correct location and usage. Consider the location
of the appliances such as fridges, freezers, ice makers, vending
machines and beer coolers - keep them away from heat sources and
direct sunlight. Keep the doors and lids closed.
Simple changes such as these and changes in your
staff working practices can make huge savings in your energy consumption
and these changes can actually improve conditions for both your
clientele and staff.
Simple Action Checklist
- Allocate responsibility
- Find out what you pay now
- Check what your heating and cooling settings
are - you will be surprised!
- Prepare a list of things to do
- Compile an energy checklist - take a look
at what you do now - day and night
- Raise awareness - get your people on side
and motivated
- Act now!
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