Some hotels are taking a big step forward in making sure rooms are comfortable when you arrive and during your stay by installing automated control systems that adapt to occupancy and respond with the appropriate level of heating or cooling. Hotel staff can also remotely prepare a room for an arriving guest, and shut down systems when the room becomes vacant. Sensors can indicate if a room is occupied or empty, which can be especially valuable when it allows the hotel to turn off the energy-hungry heat or air conditioning when guests are out.
The Santa Clara Marriott Hotel is one property that has embraced the new technology, retrofitting the pre-existing air conditioning equipment in rooms to disable the factory built-in controls so that the units can be controlled through the Wi-Fi and sensor enabled thermostats. Guests can still personally choose their level of comfort using in-room thermostats.
The project was completed in August 2016 and meets a Marriott policy to implement one signature environmental improvement a year at each of its hotels. Comfort is just one of the benefits. Dave Mason, the director of engineering for the Marriott, says upgrading 759 guest room thermostat controls will save the property 230,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. The energy efficiency upgrade also will also prevent 55 metric tons of carbon pollution from entering the atmosphere annually.
“I was particularly interested in this project because it improves the overall guest experience and saves valuable resources,” Dave Mason said, adding that those savings plus the rebate from Silicon Valley Power will allow the hotel to recoup the $346,000 project cost in less than seven years. The energy efficiency upgrade also will also prevent 55 metric tons of carbon pollution from entering the atmosphere annually.
“I would definitely use the word ‘partnership’ to describe our work with SVP,” said Mason. “It only took about eight weeks to complete the project once we had a green light.”
We love working with customers like Dave Mason and the Santa Clara Marriott to improve energy efficiency at their facilities, and the project is even more rewarding when it benefits their guests with improved comfort!
WATT MATTERS 