Robbinsville, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/12/2011 -- “As an investment and management company, we are always looking for ways to reduce our operating costs throughout our portfolio of hotels to increase the ROI for our investors, “ said Michael Gibson, Founder and CEO of M.Gibson Hotels Group. “EcoGreenHotel’s E2A (Energy Efficiency Analysis) introduced us to several energy conservation measures and, with their vendor neutral approach, together we built a comprehensive energy strategy we felt comfortable investing precious capital towards. Since installation Scott and his team continue to measure results and provide us with detailed reporting that allow us to show our investors true savings and a return on their investment.”
EcoGreenHotel led the project implementation and scheduled the installation without upsetting the day-to-day operations of the hotel. “We evaluated, recommended and managed the installation of energy efficiency measures that are already delivering strong returns for the Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West. EcoGreenHotel specializes in the select service market and have partnered with the best providers of technologies geared at this sector of hotels,“ notes Scott Parisi, President of EcoGreenHotel.
The difficult part of any energy conservation project is to balance the investment costs and potential cost savings with out exceeding a limited budget. EcoGreenHotel’s recommendations for this project all provided reasonable payback periods while delivering above average cost savings. Two of the most effective solutions implemented were the Guest Room Energy Management System and an Ozone Laundry system.
The Energy Patrol Energy Management system allows hotel management to gain precise control of the PTAC units in guest rooms through the use of motion sensors tied to the in-room thermostats. “More and more hoteliers are viewing sustainability projects as some of the most financially attractive investments that they can make. Our Energy Patrol System reduced HVAC waste by up to 45% per occupied room. Our system will have a great impact on the bottom line, while providing a return on investment of approximately two years,” said Kevin Hall, President US Energy Solutions.
The benefits of ozone as a powerful cleaning agent have been studied for over 100 years. Only recently have limited service hotels been able to take full advantage of its tremendous cleaning power in laundry operations. The Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West installed a small-scale system to work with its two 75-lb washers. The results have been very positive allowing a reduction in the use of laundry chemicals and terrific energy savings. Ozone acts as a powerful oxidizer and increases the saponification effects of the wash chemicals that allow for lower washing temperatures between 95°F to 115°F instead of the traditional 140°F to 160°F, with no sacrifice in cleaning power.
Looking beyond the most common energy conservation measures, EcoGreenHotel recommended two innovative solutions for the indoor swimming pool:
The first is a liquid pool blanket. The Heatsavr system automatically applies a biodegradable liquid that floats on the surface of the water to greatly reduce heat loss by slowing the evaporation rate. The invisible liquid blanket is very effective in reducing the steam loss per hour. The Hilton Garden Inn’s pool is experiencing energy bill reductions between 15% and 30%. For every dollar spent on Heatsavr, hotel owners will see three dollars in savings.
Finally, EcoGreenHotel recommended a green technology solution that does not reduce energy use; however it did provide excellent cost savings. Converting the standard chlorine swimming pool to a saltwater pool was relatively inexpensive and took less than an hour for installation with a simple cut in to the pool equipment lines. The pay back was tremendous, allowing for pool chemical cost to be reduced from $150.00 a month for dry chlorine tablets and crystals to less than $10.00 a month for 25-lb bags of salt.
Overall the energy conservation measures have resulted in a 25% reduction in energy and natural gas usage as compared to last year. All of the energy conservation measures are projected to be paid for with the savings within 24 months. As energy prices rise over the next five years the Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West will be well ahead of its competition.
About M. Gibson Hotels Group
M. Gibson Hotels Group is an investment, development and management company with over 36 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, building expertise through multi-unit management and conceptual development of hotels and freestanding theme restaurants. They are a franchisee with InterContinental Hotel Group, Hilton Hotels Corporation, and Marriott International Inc. and offer hotel construction, development, interior design, project management, accounting, sales and marketing services through a team of dedicated professionals
About EcoGreenHotel
EcoGreenHotel LLC (Robbinsville, NJ), is a privately held company dedicated to helping lodging facilities address a broad spectrum of sustainability issues. The company provides information, tools, checklists, current news and trends to the hospitality industry through its website, http://www.EcoGreenHotel.com. The company also runs an online marketplace for green products and services at http://www.EcoGreenHotelStore.com. In addition to the online offerings, EcoGreenHotel provides customized consulting services tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry in the areas of energy efficiency and certifications, including LEED, Green Seal and Energy Star. For those properties that have reached certified levels of sustainability, EcoGreenHotel assists with marketing services to position the properties within the growing “green” space and enhance revenue. For further information, email info@EcoGreenHotel.com or call 888-229-0213.