Energy and Water Conservation
Green Alternatives for Hotels By: Brent Brammer
Theme
By exploring three green alternatives, hotels will save electricity and water.
#1 Room card or key needed to operate electricity in room
To save energy, the room card (room key) must be inserted into a slot in order for the electricity to work. When guests leave the room, the electricity shuts off. This saves energy because the television, lights, and other electrical items will shut off when no one is in the room. If properly explained to guests, this does not cause them inconvenience. The hotel would incur expense to wire the rooms and install the system, but it could save money in the long run due to lower energy consumption.
#2 Laundry of towels and sheets upon guest request
To save water consumption, the towels and bedding will only be laundered upon request by the guests. This is communicated through proper signage in the room to indicate how to let housekeeping know when the sheets or towels should be washed. An example would be placing a sign on the bed to have the sheets washed or placing the towels on the floor to indicate that these towels should be washed. With proper signage this does not inconvenience the guests. It helps the hotel to save on water and also may reduce the staff needed for laundry. Other than signage, these changes could be implemented with minimal expense.
#3 Switch from high energy to lower energy lighting
Interior lighting accounts for about 33% of all electricity incurred by a hotel. To save energy, hotels should switch their light bulbs to lower energy sources such as LED light bulbs. They should also evaluate the lighting needs within the room to see if lower energy options still provide guests with the necessary lighting, but reduce the use of energy. Changing light bulbs and fixtures would not impact guests if the lighting is still good. The hotel would benefit by having lower electricity consumption, so they would have lower energy expenses.
Saving water & energy in hotels - towel reuse (English)