Energy efficiency is essential. The main benefits are:
- Greater comfort to guests and staff in remote and off-grid locations;
- Lower reliance on fossil fuels;
- Simpler and less expensive primary and backup energy systems;
- Lower maintenance requirements and operating costs.
It must be integrated into every aspect of the design and operation of the facility:
- In buildings, equipment and appliances (passive cooling/heating features, high efficiency electrical equipment);
- To staff and guests (education and participation).
According to estimates, hotels can manage to have energy efficiency in the below ways:
- Energy costs: could be reduced by 10 to 40% with the use of more efficient methods of energy consumption.
- Laundry costs: could be reduced by 10 to 30% by offering the option to reuse towels and bed linen to guests who stay more than 1 night.
- Lighting: Incandescent light fixtures can last 8 to 10 times longer than fluorescent ones (DICK, S. 2007).
While energy costs in hotels usually represents about 6% of the annual turnover, these expenses can be decreased between 1.5 and 2.8% by introducing good energy management practices. Investing up to 6% in energy-efficient systems or technologies can lead to lowering the energy consumption by 10%.
According to Turner (2004), the effectiveness of energy management programs can be enhanced if 4 basic principles are adopted:
1.Control the costs of the energy function or service provided;
2.Control energy functions as a product cost, not as a part of manufacturing or general overhead;
3.Control and meter only the main energy functions, the roughly 20% that make up 80% of the costs;
4.Put a major effort of the energy management program into installing controls and achieving results.