Hospitality Energy Hacks: How To Manage Your Hotel’s Energy Usage

It is important to know how to manage your hotel’s energy usage, and there are several hospitality energy hacks available to help with the task. Managing your hotel’s energy usage by implementing hospitality energy hacks can save your business not only energy, but money as well. This money can then be used in other areas that need the funds or invested into other projects.

In order to manage your hotel’s energy usage, you need to know where and for what energy is being used. Once you understand the makeup of your hotel’s energy usage, you can start to implement the necessary hospitality energy hacks. Investing the money saved by these endeavours can push your hotel into the future.

Hotels don’t all use the same amount of energy. There are a lot of different factors that determine the energy usage of a hotel. This article gives more information on managing and saving hotel energy usage. You can also find out more about the issue by doing your own research online.

How Hotel Energy Consumption Is Calculated

Hotels use a lot of electricity and gas to keep guests warm, comfortable, fed, and happy. The buildings use energy 24/7 in order to provide access to heating, hot water, and electricity. This leads to very high energy usage in hotels. Energy is used to provide rooms with hot water and electricity, as well as to keep on-site facilities running. These facilities include, but are not limited to, laundry rooms, on-site restaurants, kitchens, gyms, spas, pools, and lifts. Energy consumption in a hotel depends on the square footage, number of workers, refrigeration units, cooking facilities, rooms per area, and heating and cooling needs.

The amount of energy a hotel uses depends on the number of rooms in the building and extra on-site facilities. Energy usage will depend on the time of year, due to tourism seasons as well as weather seasons. Most of a hotel’s energy goes into heating the building and providing hot water to visitors. This means that hotels typically use more gas than electricity. This leads to a big question: How much energy does a hotel use?

The simplest way to determine a hotel’s energy usage is by calculating the energy consumption of each room. Divide the energy used per room by its square metre to get the energy used for every square metre. This figure is then multiplied by the number of rooms, and their square metres, in the hotel. This will give you the energy usage of the bedrooms per year, which you can divide to calculate monthly, or daily, usage. The bigger the hotel, the bigger the energy usage will be.

Now that you have the total amount of energy used by bedrooms in the hotel, you have to determine additional facilities’ energy usage as well. A lift uses a surprisingly little amount of electricity, which increases when a hotel has more floors. The electricity usage of an on-site gym depends on its size, opening hours, number of machines, lighting, air conditioning, and number of users. You might be able to calculate its energy usage by determining how much electricity certain machines and devices use. The biggest energy consumer in a gym is the air conditioner.

Saving On Hotel Energy Usage

There are a lot of energy-saving hacks that you can use in your hotel. These are just a few of them. Ensure that every area of the hotel is at the right temperature. It is recommended that corridors and bedrooms are kept between 19-21°C. Bars and lounging areas should be kept between 20-22°C, and restaurants and dining areas between 22-24°C. Kitchens and laundry rooms should be kept between 16-19°C. Staff can be encouraged to keep their working areas at the right temperatures. 

You can also manage the temperature in these areas by installing smart thermostats, and updating Heating, Cooling, and Ventilating (HVAC) Systems. Keep insulation in good shape, and use weatherstripping to seal windows and doors. Change and clean air filters and parts when needed. Repair leaking taps and pipes. Keep the plumbing in good shape. Invest in tankless boilers.

Hotels use lights in almost every single space, making up almost 25% of a hotel’s total electricity bill. This can be reduced by investing in LED technology for a more energy-efficient lighting solution. Smart sensors can turn lights on and off when a room or area is unoccupied. Make use of natural light by installing large windows. Hotels can invest in alternative energy technology, like solar panels and miniature wind turbines, to produce their own electricity. If they produce more than they use, they can sell it back to the National Grid. Not only can you make money from this, but you also reduce your carbon footprint. Switch to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly appliances, from the kitchen to housekeeping equipment.

Invest in a Building Automation System (BAS). It connects all of the different devices in your hotel and lets you control them all from one central location. Install a smart meter so that you can see how much energy the hotel uses in real-time. It also shows you where the biggest energy drains are, allowing you to make necessary changes. 

Educate your staff about energy-saving techniques, so that they can help to manage your hotel’s energy usage. Conduct an energy audit on your hotel, and schedule regular equipment and system inspections. Make sure that you’re getting the best deal from your energy supplier. If necessary, switch to a supplier that offers you a better choice.

Conclusion

In order to manage your hotel’s energy usage you have to know how much energy it uses. This article explains how hotel energy consumption is calculated, and how to manage this consumption. There are various hospitality energy hacks that you can use to manage your hotel’s energy usage. Including energy-saving hacks on heating and cooling systems. Making lighting more energy efficient, and getting your staff involved. Invest in environmentally friendly equipment and alternative energy technology. Smart technology can also help you to reduce energy usage in your hotel.