5 Steps to Reducing Hotel Energy Consumption

Hotel energy consumption is a major money-waster. More and more managers are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing guest comfort. Many steps to energy savings don't cost money. Others may require an investment.

Step one. If you haven’t already done so, launch an energy saving campaign. This could be called the Green Initiative or the Earth Effort. The key is to make your guests feel empowered to help you. Many will appreciate the opportunity to help the environment. Others can be encouraged by a well-trained desk staff, who can provide information on the ways that guests can help. If you have luggage handlers, they can demonstrate energy-saving mechanisms in the rooms. You can post attractive posters in the lobby, the elevators and the public restrooms.

Step two. Laundry is the source of high energy costs and excessive water consumption. You can offer two simple ways for guests who are staying more than one night to make an impact on their environment. With the use of a simple laminated card, they can indicate whether a bed needs new sheets. If the laminated card is on the bed, the staff will change the sheets. If it is not, the staff will simply make the bed. In addition, you can teach guests, through signs in the bathroom, not to mix clean and dirty towels. Dirty towels can be deposited in a bin under the sink where the cleaning staff can quickly retrieve them. This helps decrease the amount of time needed for the cleaning crew to complete each room. You can also ask guests to turn off lights and adjust the thermostat when they leave the room. If you switch to a programmable thermostat, they can do this very easily. Make sure your staff understands these four important ways that guests can help. Then make sure your staff is willing to discuss these issues briefly upon guest check-in. 

Step four. As soon as you start saving, start investing. Change lightbulbs to low-wattage energy savers. Buy efficient washers and dryers. Install automatic lighting in common bathrooms and individuals ones. Add LED lighting for a softer glow and a bigger savings. Add LED nightlights in hallways and rooms to reduce the guests’ need for overhead lights. Look for automatic water heating equipment that might be used for the laundry or for the individual rooms. Make sure that your insulation around current water heaters and hot water pipes is adequate. Ask your cleaning staff to be vigilant about turning off lights in empty rooms and making sure the thermostat is off as well. Suggest to your managers that they set an example by using the stairs for one- or two-floor trips.

Step five. Once you’ve accomplished these goals, you may want to invest in energy software that can show you what your daily consumption looks like. There may be ways to save that you can identify from a chart that details energy use by the hour. Perhaps there are elevators or outside signs that can be turned off during the late night hours. Perhaps it would be more economical to consolidate snacks and sodas in a single location. Guests could purchase them from the desk. Snack and soda machines are energy hogs that may not pay for their own upkeep.