Try Recommissioning
Commissioning is a process in which engineers observe a
building and perform a “tune-up” to ensure that its
systems are operating appropriately and efficiently.
Commissioning typically takes place when a facility first
opens, but recommissioning periodically throughout a
building’s life can provide big benefits. Studies have
shown that continuously monitoring a building’s energy
systems can lead to reductions of 10 to 15 percent or
more in annual energy bills. For a typical 100,000-ft2
hotel, that’s equal to about $19,500 in savings per year!
Savings typically result from resetting existing controls to
reduce HVAC waste while maintaining or even increasing
comfort levels for occupants. Commissioning usually
costs between 5 and 40 cents/ft2.
Upgrade to More-Efficient Lighting
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) can replace incandescent
lamps in many applications, reducing energy use
by two-thirds and saving up to $20 per lamp per year in
energy costs. CFLs also last far longer than incandescent
bulbs. You can even select fixtures designed to accept
only CFLs so that maintenance staff cannot accidentally
relamp them with incandescent bulbs. One California
hotel reports that its guests prefer the brighter CFLs in
the desk lamps, and many choose to use them as the
main light source in the room.
Some 40 percent of hotel guests leave bathroom lights
on as nightlights. Consider installing nightlights or
enabling a nighttime feature that operates bathroom fixtures
at 10 percent light output.
If your facility uses T12 fluorescent lamps, relamping
with modern T8 lamps and electronic ballasts can
reduce your lighting energy consumption by 35 percent.
Adding specular reflectors, new lenses, and occupancy
Source: E SOURCE, data from U.S. Energy Information
Administration and Natural Resources Canada
C. Canadian hotels, total energy
Space heating
Lighting and other
Water heating
15%
Kitchen
9%
Space cooling
8%
35%
33%
A. U.S. lodging, natural gas use
Water heating Space heating
Cooking
9%
Other
5%
31% 55%
B. U.S. lodging, electricity use
Cooling
Lighting
Other
Space heating
Office
equipment
7%
Ventilation
7%
Refrigeration
6%
Water heating
5%
Cooking
1%
23%
27%
13%
11%
Figure 2: Lodging facility annual energy consumption by end use,
U.S. (1999) and Canada (2000)