By: Suzanne Robertson
SN: 300210816

By: Suzanne Robertson
SN: 300210816

Energy Conservation and Management in an Energy Obsessed World

Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Energy Alternatives 4 Biomass Energy 5 Wind Energy 6 Solar Energy 6 Technology 7 Energy Efficient Lighting 7 Intelligent thermostats 8 Sub Metering 8 Ozone Laundering Systems 8 Implementing Programs 9 Economics of Energy Conservation 9 NYSERDA 10 Rebates 10 Low interest loans 12 Global energy conservation 12 The ‘Price’ of Energy 12 Developing world 13 Conclusion 13

Executive Summary
Energy conservation and management is a vital part of any corporation, especially one that depends as highly on the consumption of energy as hospitality does. Conserving energy for these corporations doesn’t only improve their bottom line but also helps to ensure that they are doing their part and are attending to their corporate social responsibility. Within the hospitality industry there are many different ways that a manager can choose to improve the management and conservation of energy. Ensuring that all of the machinery on the property is up to date, well maintained and the most energy efficient model available is a good start to reducing the energy consumed on the property. However, there are other things that can be done as well. For instance, instead of just upgrading the machinery they could replace it entirely with energy conserving technology alternatives. They also have the options of choosing a completely different source of energy, one that is renewable, easily accessible and environmentally friendly. To begin to make these changes education is the first key, have a meeting with the staff and get them involved, hire someone to do an assessment and figure out where the issues are and make a decision to change what needs to be done and to create a well-managed energy conserving facility. With so many support programs for information and financing available, becoming an environmentally friendly hospitality property has never been easier or more affordable.

Introduction
Energy conservation and management is an important chapter within Agenda 21; Agenda 21 is a ‘non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development’ (wikipedia, 2015). Translation, Agenda 21 is a suggestion by the UN on how businesses and corporations around the world can lessen the damage that their organizations leave on the world. A specific example of this is in the hospitality industry, and their attempts at energy management and conservation. It is important within the hospitality industry, that energy conservation and management is a key factor for managers. This is important not only so that each organization can lessen their environmental foot print, but also so that they can lessen their energy expenditures within each facility. Energy alternatives, new technologies, and implementing new programs can all result in energy savings both economically and environmentally. One of the reasons it is such an important aspect for the hospitality industry is because they are large organizations that use a large amount of energy and often have properties all over the world. This will allow them to spread their knowledge on energy conservation locally and abroad.
Energy Alternatives
So why is it important to use energy alternatives? Other than the basic reasons of cost savings it can actually help reduce the effects of global warming. Global warming is caused by an increased amount of carbon dioxide in the air, scientists have discovered technologies that can produce energy with either comparable or even better performance that do not emit carbon dioxides. An alternative energy’s website states “alternative energy refers to energy sources that have no undesired consequences such for example fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Alternative energy sources are renewable and are thought to be ‘free’ energy sources” (Davidson). Some of the more popular energy alternatives are: Biomass Energy, Wind Energy, and Solar Energy.
Biomass Energy
Biomass energy is organic matter that is stored through the process of photosynthesis. It exists in plants in one form and then can be transformed through the bodies of animals and into their waste. From the waste it can then be converted into energy for human consumption through a process of combustion. Biomass energy ‘accounts for almost 15% of the world’s total energy supply and as much as 35% in developing countries’ (Davidson). This is probably because it is one of the most low cost and indigenous in nature; biomass energy is the second most popular form of renewable energy in the world, second only to hydro power.
The hospitality industry can benefit from using biomass energy by investing in biomass boilers. According to John Whalley of Thomas Armstrong Renewable Energy “Biomass is one way of reducing hospitality sector heating bills and is an increasingly popular option for owners of hotels and larger B& B’s” (Whalley, 2014). A biomass boiler is a lot larger than a regular boiler but can provide extensive amounts of cost savings in energy consumption and will prove to be worth the extra space.
Wind Energy
People have been using wind as energy for thousands of years, take for example sail boats, windmills and even kites. Now if only we could harness that energy and use it, oh wait, we can. We have so much technology today that allows us to use wind energy, and with it we could even replace up to 20% of the world’s energy consumption. Currently nuclear powered energy machines take up 1% of Americas farming land to produce power. Wind equipment would take up 5 % of that farming land, so although it is more than the 1% currently being used it would still leave 95% of the land left over for farming and ranching. This form of energy production would reduce CO2 emissions every year by 100 million metric tons.
Wind energy is also available in smaller quantities to power a building or maybe a hotel. These are called small wind energy systems or more specifically HAWT (horizontal-axis wind turbines) and VAWT (vertical –axis wind turbines). These turbines can be attached to the building and will provide an energy source for which the building can run on. This form of energy can prove to have a high initial cost but will serve to provide essentially cost free energy and doesn’t cause any harm to the environment.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is probably one of the most well-known energy alternatives. The sun gives off enough energy to in one day to power the whole world for the year but unfortunately very little people take advantage of its renewable energy. “Solar energy could have had great power, but it was put on the back burner whenever fossil fuels were more affordable and available” (Davidson). Fossil fuels have been the primary source for energy for many years, because it’s here, it’s convenient, and we know how to get it, and we know how to use it. Plus it makes a lot of people a great deal of money. Unfortunately, it is also wrecking this thing we need to live on, earth.
Solar energy can benefit hotels is a number of ways and currently already is for some specific locations. There is a resort in Mexico called the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, where they have many recycling programs in place as well as solar panels on almost every building. With the use of solar panels a hotel could not only power their business for nearly free, it could heat the water, and all the HVAC needs while helping save the world, one solar panel at a time.
Technology
Upgrading the technology within the property can seriously decrease the amount spent on energy costs. It can also decrease the amount of damage a hotel does to the environment while it is in business. There are now technologies that can allow people to do so many great things, but fear of change and or cost, or both, generally causes them to stick to what they know. What they don’t realize is that sometimes, making a larger initial purchase can save hundreds of thousands in long term expenses. A few examples of these technologies are: energy efficient lighting, intelligent thermostats, sub metering and Ozone laundering.
Energy Efficient Lighting
The amount of energy consumed by lighting in a large hospitality building is substantial, and it is directly affected by the type of bulb used to light the room. LED lighting is becoming increasingly popular, especially for large businesses due to the increased efficiency in energy use. According to Siemens “regular incandescent light bulbs are very inefficient; up to 95% of the energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb produces heat, not light. More efficient are compact fluorescent light bulbs which use up to 75% less energy per bulb. However, LED light bulbs use up to 90% less energy than, any other lighting source, and therefore will contribute considerably to energy conservation” (Siemens ). Although the initial cost of an LED light bulb is quite a bit higher than that of an incandescent bulb the longevity of the bulb and the energy conservation it provides will no doubt make up for the initial cost difference.
Intelligent thermostats
Intelligent thermostats are used in addition to a motion sensor in each room of a property. They are able to detect if the room is occupied or unoccupied and adjust the temperature accordingly. This allows for an immediate reduction in energy consumption and savings. Keen Technical Solutions LLC writes “ each Eco Smart thermostat has the ability to learn from its environment, consider internal and external factors, and choose how far to drift from the user set point. The goal of the thermostat is to drift just far enough in temperature to maximize energy savings while still being able to return the user set point within the recovery time period” (Keen Techinical Solutions ). The Marriott is one of the larger properties that have already implemented this technology and plans to decrease their energy consumption within the rooms by 38%.
Sub Metering
Sub Metering is a method that allows a hotel to monitor where and when the energy is being used and how much. This allows them to track where the expense is going, as well as where they need to focus their conservation efforts. Sub metering also allows a hotel to track what their other locations are using and use it as a bench mark for the rest of their properties. Having a property to bench mark from can help with numbers witch will help them identify areas within the building that could be conserving better or that perhaps need some new or more efficient equipment.
Ozone Laundering Systems
Ozone laundry systems reduce energy use, water consumption and sewer costs, on top of that it will reduce the time required to use them. They have faster fill times; faster cycles and faster drying times all while using fewer resources. This system uses ozone gases to clean the laundry instead of detergent or bleaches, creating less damaging sewer waste. It does this by injecting ozone into cold water which causes the soil to separate from the fabric and disintegrate. It then sterilizes and deodorizes and then converts back to its oxygen form leaving no chemical residue. This is cost effective because it reduces the use of hot water in laundry by 100 percent. It also uses less water, washes and rinses fewer times than the average machine and results in up to 40 percent less water and sewer waste. The shorter wash cycle reduces your labour costs as it requires less time to complete the laundry and it is environmentally friendly.
Implementing Programs
The staff at each location is imperative to the energy conservation of that hotel. Implementing programs that will allow them to track energy consumption as well as training them to be conservative with the energy and on how to use the energy conserving technology will benefit the business greatly. It is important that the staff care about the hotel, its expenses, and the environment. You could do this by having a meeting with the staff and stressing the organizations commitment to energy efficiency and conservation. Supply the staff with training and education programs to raise awareness about the topic and how they can help, also allow them to get involved and suggest ideas on how to reduce energy use on the property.
Economics of Energy Conservation “Energy and water conservation can be one of the most impactful practices a hotel can embrace to improve their bottom line” (Parisi, 2012). Conserving energy can be done in so many ways throughout the industry as mentioned earlier, the type of energy used, the technology it uses and the staffs knowledge and efforts to help conserve, can all have great impacts on the overall cost savings. On top of all the money saved by switching to more conservative and practical systems, there are also many rebates and incentives available to help support hotels in their transition to a more environmentally friendly, and sustainable property. There is local support available in most regions such as NYSERDA (in New York) as well as provincial and federal government rebates and other low interest loans available through different environmental support programs.
NYSERDA
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is a program that supports energy conservation efforts within businesses. This program is just an example of how many different programs there are out there. This one, specific to New York, has helped innovative start-ups raises $91 million dollars through its Incubator Program since 2009. It also offers other programs like the Combined Heat and Power Acceleration or the NY-Sun (solar electric) program, the Home Performance Energy Star and the Renewable Heat NY. Most cities or provinces will have similar efforts toward helping finance the go green movement.
Rebates
There are many rebates offered to any business or person that is willing to invest in energy conservation. There are rebate companies out there that offer additional services on top of the rebate. For instance, New Jersey Clean Energy is just one of the rebate companies available to assist in making the change to an eco-friendly, energy conserving property. They offer a range of services such as: * A bench marking system which provides a service that assesses the performance of your property before you make the changes to help you find the areas to focus on and then will also show you the improvements after the renovation has been made. * Pay for performance plans which offer a whole building approach with incentives, energy reduction plans, technical services and financial plans for funding the project and offer a construction schedule for implementation * Direct install programs are programs specifically for small to medium pre-existing facilities. This program can pay up to 70% of the cost for the project of replacing lighting, HVAC or other out-dated equipment with energy conserving alternatives.
Another company, Green Grants and Rebates, shows a table of over 50 different types of rebates that can be applied for to assist in the initial cost of going green. A few of them are: * EcoEnergy Programs - Government of Canada * LiveSmart BC -Province of BC, partnering with Fortis BC and BC Hydro * Power Smart New Home Program- BC Hydro * GST New Housing Rebate – Revenue Canada * Clean Energy Vehicle – Province of BC * Fridge Buy-Back Program- BC Hydro * Appliance Rebates – BC Hydro * Lighting Rebates - BC Hydro * Energy Conservation Assistance Program- BC Hydro * Efficient Boiler Programs – Fortis BC * Efficient Commercial Water Heater Program- Fortis BC

Low interest loans
Low interest loans are offered through a number of resources for any hotel that wants to make the change but doesn’t have the funding readily available. The Energy Efficiency Loan Program is one of these programs. It offers below market rates at 5 percent for up to 10 years, covering up to 100 percent of the initial cost of the upgrade. Things they will cover include building retrofits, equipment replacement or upgrades, lighting and renewable energy projects. This program has been running since 2010 and was successful right off the hop, with requests for up to $25 million in loans in the first 6 months. This proves just how many people want to make the change but is in need of some support and encouragement, financial encouragement. This project is so beneficial because not only do they allow you to finance 100 percent of the project, including equipment, engineering, installation, loan fees and facility assessments, but it also allows you to pay back the loan with 50 percent of what you save in your energy costs. Therefore you still get to retain 50 percent of the savings and pay off the loan with the other 50 percent. There are literally no upfront costs and the equipment basically pays for itself.
Global energy conservation
The ‘Price’ of Energy
Canadians along with Americans use 2.5 times the amount of energy that Europeans do, and 3 times as much as China. This is due to the fact that the government still subsidizes the energy costs. People do not understand the true costs of energy, they only see the number on the bill, and they don’t realize the environmental impact it has. Marc Stoiber believes “energy needs to be priced at its “true” cost (including carbon impacts) instead of being subsidized” (Stoiber). He believes that by increasing the cost of energy to the consumer it might create awareness and cause people to conserve more and be cautious with their use.
Developing world
People living in developing a world tend to use old inefficient appliances; unfortunately this causes a large amount of energy to be used in a place where energy costs are so much higher. The reason for this is that people in developing countries are less likely to buy new appliances; therefore they are not buying more efficient ones. They are passing down second hand appliances for years and years while never upgrading their equipment to be more efficient.
Conclusion
Living in a first world country people tend to forget to think about things like energy conservation or the environment, they are given the luxury and the privilege of living in a society where nearly everything they do is powered by some form of energy; cell phones, computers, TVs, air conditioning and radios just to name a few. Yet at some point it needs to change, this idea of never ending energy on the other side of the wall needs to stop. Energy conservation doesn’t just save money, it saves the earth. Energy can be conserved by upgrading technology and machinery, using different forms of energy and by simply creating energy conservation awareness.
Businesses are the largest users of energy, especially the hospitality industry. When large corporations make changes towards a more environmentally friendly way of doing things the impacts can be tremendous. Energy conservation is a win-win situation, with the plentiful grants and support programs offered to help lessen the burden of the initial cost. As well as the low income loans offered to fund the rest of the upgrade, there can be very little cost associated with the changes initially. So by conserving energy it is not only saving the business money it is also saving the planet, adding a perk for eco-friendly travelers which will help make the property more appealing and help raise awareness to the staff and clients that stay there.
It is also important for large global corporations with energy conservation programs already in place in North America to continue this movement, into their global properties. It is just as important, if not more so, that businesses in developing nations learn the importance of energy conservation and begin practicing it at those locations as well. Many global locations don’t use excessive amounts of energy but because of the lack of energy efficient machinery and programs in place, a large amount of energy is still being consumed and wasted. It will take the whole world to make a significant difference in energy conservation and it is important that every business, corporation and individual does their part.

Bibliography wikipedia. (2015, june 2). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21
Clean Energy Program . (n.d.). Retrieved from New Jersey Clean Energy Program : http://www.njcleanenergy.com/main/rebates-and-promotions/rebates-and-promotions
Davidson, A. (n.d.). Alternative energy. Retrieved from alternttaive energy . org: http://www.altenergy.org/
Eco Green Energy Solutions . (n.d.). Retrieved from Eco Green Energy Solutions : https://www.ecogreenhotel.com/
Green Grants and Rebates . (n.d.). Retrieved from Sunshine Coaast Regional Distrcit : http://www.scrd.ca/Green-Grants-and-Rebates
Hotel Energy Solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved from Renewable Energy Solutions : http://dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net/sites/all/files/docpdf/re30smallwindenergysystemtaq.pdf
Keen Techinical Solutions . (n.d.). Retrieved from Keen Technical Solutions LLC: http://www.keen-minds.com/industries-served/hospitality.html
Parisi, S. (2012, juliy 25). Eco Green Energy Solutions. Retrieved from eco green hotel: https://www.ecogreenhotel.com/blog/tag/hotel-energy-saving-ideas/
Siemens . (n.d.). Retrieved from energy efficient lighting: http://w3.siemens.com/market-specific/global/en/hospitality/hotels-resorts-casinos/hotel-energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-lighting/pages/energy-efficient-lighting.aspx
Stoiber, M. (n.d.). BC Hydro. Retrieved from BC hydro: https://www.bchydro.com/news/unplug_this_blog/2013/energy-conservation-worldwide.html
Whalley, J. (2014, juliy 10). Biomass is the Perfect Renewable Energy for Hospitality Industry . Retrieved from Thomas Armstrong Renewable Energy : http://thomasarmstrongenergy.co.uk/biomass-perfect-renewable-energy-hospitality-industry/