ENERGY
USE AN ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO CONTROL THE OPERATION OF GUESTROOM
HEATING/COOLING SYSTEMS AND LIGHTS
Guests often leave the lights on and the heating/cooling system running when they are away from their rooms, which
frequently can be up to 12 hours/day. Fortunately, hotels can significantly reduce the impact of this wasteful practice by
using energy management systems to limit the operation of lights and heating/cooling systems in empty rooms.
The most commonly used energy management systems for guest rooms include occupancy sensor controllers
and energy-saver switches.
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An occupancy sensor controller detects the presence of people in the guestroom. When occupied, the controller
allows the lights and heating/cooling system to work normally. However, when the sensor does not detect
occupancy, the controller disables the lights and either turns off the heating/cooling system or temporarily resets the
thermostat to a more energy-efficient room temperature (i.e., a higher temperature during the cooling season, or a
lower temperature during the heating season).
An energy-saver switch system uses a special switch, located by the door, which is turned on by the insertion of
the guest’s key card or key ring thus enabling the operation of the lights and heating/cooling system. When the
guest leaves the room, he/she removes the key-card from the switch, which automatically turns off the lights and
heating/cooling system (or puts the heating/cooling system in a more energy- efficient stand-by mode) after a short
delay.
Energy management systems can often reduce guestrooms electricity consumption by 15 to 30%, and achieve a
payback period of 1 to 2 years. In areas with long cooling seasons, energy management systems can typically save up
to 2,500 kWh or € 200 per guestroom per year.
USE ENERGY EFFICIENT LAMPS IN ALL POSSIBLE AREAS OF THE PROPERTY
The lighting load in hotels that are mainly equipped with incandescent lamps can account for a significant part of their total
electricity use. Thanks to important advances in lighting technology, energy-efficient alternatives are available for nearly all
lighting applications.
The principal energy-efficient lighting options used in hotels include compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), fluorescent tube
lamps and light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Compact fluorescent lamps: CFLs are direct replacements for incandescent bulbs and can therefore be installed in
most light fixtures that are designed for incandescent bulbs.
The key characteristics of CFLs are:
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Energy efficiency: CFLs use ~70% less energy than incandescent bulbs for the same light output. CFLs also
produce considerably less heat and so reduce air conditioning loads
Service life: Good quality CFLs should last 8,000 to 10,000 hours, or about 10 times longer than incandescent
bulbs. Thus, in addition to saving energy, the use of CFLs significantly reduces the need to purchase and install
replacement lamps.
Lamp aesthetics: CFLs come in a wide variety of types and styles, and can meet the functional and decorative
requirements of most light fixtures.
Light quality: Although earlier CFLs produced only a cool white light, which made them mainly suitable for backof-house applications, manufacturers now also offer CFLs that produce a warm yellow light that is nearly
indistinguishable from the light produced by incandescent bulbs.
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Cost effectiveness: CFLs are expensive (typically € 5 to 10 /each) compared to incandescent bulbs, but will save a
considerable amount of money when taking their life and wattage into account, as shown in the table below:
Incandescent
bulb wattage
Wattage of a
CFL with an
equivalent
light output
Energy cost savings achieved by replacing an
incandescent bulb with equivalent CFL over
the 8,000-hour life of the CFL (assuming an
electricity cost of € 0.08 /kWh)
100 W
25 W
600 kWh
€ 48
75 W
20 W
440 kWh
€ 35
60 W
15 W
360 kWh
€ 29
40 W
11 W
230 kWh
€ 19
Cautions and comments:
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Purchase only CFLs produced by reputable manufacturers or that have a proven track record in the local
market.
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Ensure that the CFLs you purchased were designed for the correct frequency of electricity. For example, buying
cheaper lamps in bulk from the US (60Hz) to operate in Barbados (50Hz) will cause the lifetime of the bulb to be
dramatically shortened.
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Install CFLs preferentially in light fixtures that operate for long periods of time (more than 6 or 8 hours per day) for
the highest financial savings and shortest payback periods.
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When possible give preference to compact fluorescent systems that have separate ballasts (base units) and
lamps (i.e., CFLs with a modular lamp/ballast configuration, or CFLs that have a remote-mounted ballast). These
systems are more expensive but have a lower lifecycle cost compared to integral lamp/ballast CFL systems
because the separate and reusable ballasts can last for 3 to 5 lamps replacements.
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Since ballasts are affected by high temperatures, use only CFLs that have remotemounted ballasts in poorly vented light fixtures that are equipped with higher
wattage lamps.
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Never install standard CFLs on a lighting circuit that is controlled by a light dimmer.
Dimmable CFLs are available, specifically designed for such applications.
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CFLs contain mercury and should be disposed of in an appropriate manner.
Fluorescent tube lamps are among the most energy efficient lamps used in hotels, and even offer many benefits
compared to compact fluorescent lamps, including longer service life, lower initial cost, greater light output and greater
energy efficiency.
Although normally associated with back-of-house lighting, they can also be used in guestrooms and front-of-house
areas for indirect lighting applications (e.g., valance lights) and in suitably designed lighting fixtures.
The principal characteristics of fluorescent tube lamps are:
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Lamp type: The traditional T12 fluorescent lamps, which have been widely used for decades, are being replaced
by the newer and thinner T8 and T5 fluorescent lamps. These lamps are more energy efficient, brighter and have a
higher quality light output than the older T12 lamps.
− Energy efficiency: T12 fluorescent tube lamps typically use 70% less energy than incandescent bulbs for the same
light output. However, light fixtures equipped with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts are generally 30 to
40% more efficient than fixtures equipped with T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts.
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Service life: Fluorescent tube lamps have a service life of 15,000 to 25,000 hours, or about 15 to 25 times
longer than that of incandescent bulbs.
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Cost effectiveness: For an equivalent light output, fluorescent tube lamps typically cost 50% less than
CFLs.
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Light quality: As is the case with CFLs, fluorescent tube lights can produce cool, neutral or warm light.
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Shape: Fluorescent tube lamps are available in a wide range of configurations, including straight, U-shaped and
circular lamps.
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Dimming ballasts: Ballasts (base units) can be ordered with special dimming controls that allow the light output
to be varied from 10% to 100% of the rated output.
Cautions and comments:
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Install T8 and T5 lamps only in fixtures that are equipped with electronic ballasts.
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Purchase ballasts that are produced by reputable manufacturers or that have a proven track record in the
local market.
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Fluorescent tube lamps contain mercury and should be disposed of in an appropriate manner.
Some of the older magnetic ballasts used with T12 lamps contain PCBs (a carcinogenic substance) and should
handled by an appropriate ballast recycler/disposal firm rather than sent to a landfill. As a rule of thumb, if a
magnetic ballast does not contain PCBs, it will be explicitly stated on the label.
LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (LEDs)
LEDs are an extremely efficient form of lighting. When first developed they gave a very blue light which was not always
appropriate for hospitality settings but recent advances in the technology have led to a new generation of LEDs which
offer better colour properties than previous models and, often, can be fitted directly into existing fittings.
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Energy efficiency: When compared to fluorescent lighting they can save a further 65% energy, therefore using
over 90% less energy than an equivalent incandescent lamp.
Service life: LEDs can last over 3 times longer than fluorescent lighting with life expectancies of over 35,000 hours
Light quality: LEDs can produce light of different colour temperatures - the colour of ‘white’ that the light appears.
This ranges from a warm amber (1,800K) to a very cool blue (8,000K). There are many colours of ‘white’ available.
For general use these are: a warm white (2,600 to 2,700K), a medium white (3,000 to 3,500 K) and a cool white
(4,000 K).
Cost effectiveness: the initial outlay on LED lamps will be higher than for other alternatives but this will quickly be
recouped through the significantly reduced energy consumption and the infrequent replacement costs.
Environmental Impact: as well as using considerably less energy than other types of lighting, LEDs do not contain
any heavy metals (found in fluorescent tubes) so can be recycled more easily and safely
Cautions and comments:
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Purchase only LEDs produced by reputable manufacturers or that have a proven track record in the local market.
The light given out by an LED can fade over its lifetime. Good quality LEDs will retain a high percentage of their
initial light output
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LEDs do not emit UV light which is potentially hazardous to people and also can cause fading to fabrics.
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TURN LIGHTS AND EQUIPMENT OFF WHEN THEY ARE NOT NEEDED
Many hotels leave a surprisingly large number of lights, equipment and appliances on unnecessarily;
an expensive practice which wastes energy, shortens the life of the fixtures and equipment, and
increases the workload on the maintenance staff.
To conserve resources and reduce costs, hotels should incorporate the following common-sense
energy conservation practices in their daily operations.
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Operate garden and other exterior lights only when there is not enough natural light.
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Turn off all possible decorative lights in garden, beach and front-of-house areas after most
guests have gone to sleep (e.g., midnight).
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Turn off the circulation pumps of decorative fountains at night.
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Don’t operate lights during daytime hours in areas that receive enough natural light.
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Make sure the lights are kept off in unoccupied mechanical rooms, storage areas, linen closets,
walk-ins and other infrequently used areas. Lights in these areas are often left on for 12 to 24
hours per day.
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Use manually-operated timer switches to control whirlpool blowers, sauna heaters and other
similar equipment that are used intermittently by guests. Some hotels run their whirlpool blowers
and sauna heaters continuously for
12 to 16 hours per day even though they are occupied for only a fraction of the time. The timers should allow the
equipment to function for a reasonably short period of time (e.g., 10 to 15 minutes): whirlpool blowers or sauna
heaters that are equipped with long timers often end up working continuously.
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Make sure that lights, air conditioners, fans and other appliances are turned off in offices and
other back-of-house areas at the end of the working day.
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Train and motivate the F&B and laundry staff to turn off equipment and appliances when
they are not needed, including
extractor fans;
plate warmers;
ranges, stoves, grills and fryers;
buffet serving areas
sump heaters in dishwashers (they should be turned off during the night);
coffee/tea urns;
toasters;
and irons and flatwork ironers.
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Train and motivate the housekeepers to follow energy conservation practices when preparing
guestrooms.
The strategies and systems that can be used to keep lights and equipment off when they are not needed
include staff training and manual control, manual and continuous (programmable) timers, occupancy
sensors, and photocells.
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IMPACT OF DECORATIVE LIGHTING
This dome in a resort hotel was illuminated from 6 PM to 6 AM by 16 300W halogen lamps. These lights consumed ~ 58
kWh/day, which is equivalent to the load of 50 to 100 occupied guestrooms.
– Turning the decorative lights of this single dome off at 1 AM instead of 6 AM would save 8,900 kWh or € 700 worth
of electricity per year
– Replacing them with energy efficient lamps and turning them off at 1 AM would have saved 15,000 kWh or €1200
per year.
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