c a s e s t u dy
Winning Big with
Energy Efficiency
Harrah’s
Operating a hotel around the clock in a desert
rincon
Rincon Casino & Resort, finding opportunities
casino & resort
environmental and economic motivations.
climate uses a lot of energy. For Harrah’s
for increased energy efficiency had both
Owned by the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians,
the resort occupies the valley where the tribe
has lived for hundreds of years. As a result,
Key Highlights
Program Participation:
• Energy Efficiency
Business Rebates
deep responsibility for environmental stewardship in its operations at the same time it was
facing the business pressures of the economic
• Direct Install
downturn. While Harrah’s Rincon knew that its
• Energy Savings Bid
energy-efficiency measures would ultimately
•S
tandard Performance
Contract
have both environmental and financial
• Retro Commissioning
economic uncertainty demonstrates a
Steps Taken:
the casino’s overseeing tribal council felt a
• HVAC chilled water
cooling
benefits, its willingness to invest at a time of
powerful commitment to sustainability.
Efficient Innovations. Real Results.
Harrah’s Rincon implemented extensive lighting
retrofits that increased energy effciency without any
impact on the guest experience.
Kraig Akers, “They looked at every aspect
of how they use energy and where they
could save. Essentially, they retrofitted the
Harrah’s Rincon implemented energy-efficiency
entire facility in one way or another.” Using
measures across its entire three building
a combination of SDG&E programs, rebates
facility. From HVAC systems serving its 653
and incentives, the casino was able to
• Heat harvesting
•D
iesel heat pumps
•S
olar heating of pool
• Lighting retrofits
guest rooms, eight dining areas, and the casino
cost-effectively implement a wide array
• Installed a 1 MW
solar plant
itself to installing its own one megawatt solar
of changes.
plant and implementing solar heating for the
pool, almost every area benefitted from
kWh Saved =
3,500,000
MMBTU Saved =
25,400
$ Savings =
pproximately $980,000
a
annually in operating and
maintenance costs
energy-efficient upgrades.
The company first looked at heating and
cooling. By converting rooftop air handlers
from direct expansion to chilled water
This more than four-year effort started with
cooling and implementing a heat harvester
two energy audits to explore ways to save.
that uses the condenser water to generate
“The audits found many opportunities for us
hot water for the facility, the company
that ranged from photovoltaic and inductive
achieved significant savings. Harrah’s Rincon
solar to LED lighting retrofits and chiller
also replaced the electric heaters for its
upgrades,” notes Brendan O’Kane, Property
back-up diesel generators with new heat
Operations Manager for Harrah’s Rincon.
pumps to reduce the chance of failure and
According to SDG&E Senior Account Executive
for additional efficiencies.
(Continued on back)
In a casino, lighting is critical. Harrah’s Rincon conducted
significant research to make sure they selected the best
energy-efficient lighting for the setting. “It was important that
our lighting retrofits did not impact the guest experience. We
retrofitted over 10,000 lighting fixtures which helped contribute
to savings of 3.5 million kWh a year and over $250,000.”
Putting Many Programs to Work
Harrah’s Rincon worked closely with SDG&E to identify savings
opportunities and efficient funding options. Comments Akers,
“They used virtually every program we have, including Energy
Savings Bid, Direct Install, Standard Performance Contract,
and Retro Commissioning.” O’Kane adds, “With SDG&E’s
cooperation, we were able to take advantage of many robust
programs that really helped our bottom-line.”
Taking on an upgrade of this magnitude can be challenging,
but for Harrah’s Rincon the opportunities for both savings
and sustainability far outweighed the risks. The collaboration
between Harrah’s Rincon and SDG&E was a critical component
of success. According to O’Kane, “Our SDG&E account
representative was there for us every step of the way.
SDG&E really helped clarify everything for us and made
increasing our energy efficiency really easy.”
Changing rooftop air handlers from direct expansion to chilled water
cooling achieved significant savings.
About SDG&E® Programs
The Energy-Efficiency Business Rebates program is the easiest way to earn money back on energy-efficient equipment
purchases. Earn rebates back on lighting, refrigeration, ventilation, food service and more while also reducing operating costs.
As part of the Direct Install program, an SDG&E contractor will evaluate your facility’s energy use, identify opportunities for
energy savings and install upgraded equipment all at no cost to you.
With Energy Savings Bid, large businesses can design their own energy-savings projects for one or mulitple sites and propose an
incentive amount that could equal up to 100% of the measure costs for the project. The program allows flexibility in project design
so that customers can get the most money back.
P. O. B ox 129831 SA N DIEG O , C A 92 112- 9831
1-80 0 -411-7 343
sdge.com
To schedule a free technical assessment, or to learn which SDG&E program is right for your business, contact your SDG&E account executive,
call the Energy Savings Center at: 1-800-644-6133 or email ESC@semprautilities.com.
©2011 San Diego Gas & Electric Company. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved. Some materials used under license, with all rights reserved by licensor.
These programs are funded by California utility customers and administered by SDG&E® under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. Rebates and incentives are provided
on a first-come, first-served basis until program funds are no longer available.
06/11