ENERGY

Top Tips for Energy Efficiency

Lighting

1.     Switch lights off when not required: Light switches should be clearly marked indicating to staff which areas they control and which lights should be switched off in vacant rooms

2.     Maintain and clean light fixtures: Reflectors, roof-lighting and windows should be cleaned regularly to ensure optimum efficiency

3.     Replace older, less efficient tubular fluorescent lighting: T8 (26mm) fluorescents have similar light output compared to the older T12 (38mm)

4.     Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs): CFLs can provide energy savings of up to 75% when replacing incandescent bulbs while providing equivalent lighting levels. Increased lamp life also significantly reduces maintenance costs

5.     Install lighting controls: Using energy-efficient control systems, which include manual switches, occupancy linked controls, time scheduling and daylight responsive controls, any combination of which can yield energy savings of between 30% and 50%.

Space heating, hot water generation and distribution

1.     Service your boiler equipment: Boilers should be serviced at least annually to ensure efficient and safe operation

2.     Insulate your boiler: All pipes, valves and flanges should be insulated and checks should be carried out for leaks or corrosion, as wet insulation is no longer effective. Insulation should always be replaced when maintenance work is completed

3.     Check the temperature: Use a digital thermometer to make sure that temperature set points are correct, because heating costs increase by about eight percent for each 1o C overheating. The controls schedule should be reviewed each year to ensure it reflects occupancy patterns. Checking energy use outside normal occupancy can give an indication if controls are operating correctly

4.     Heat your water to the correct temperature: Hot water tanks should be fitted with a thermostat to ensure that the water is not heated more than necessary. The hot water temperature should be checked to ensure that it is maintained above 55 degrees to avoid legionella, and below 65 degrees to minimise energy use

5.     Maintain your hot water system: Hot water systems should be inspected to ensure that there is no build up of scale or air in the system

6.     Insulate your building: The condition of the building fabric can have a significant effect on energy use. A general maintenance programme should ensure that doors and windows are in good working order and draught stripping is fitted where appropriate. Install secondary glazing and heavy curtains. Fit automatic door closers and appropriate wall insulation if needed also

7.     Convert to a gas condensing boiler: Gas condensing boilers are considerably more efficient than conventional boilers and can be used with most existing gas heating systems

8.     Convert to combined heat and power (CHP): Many hotels due to their requirement for both electricity and heat are ideal for the installation of CHP units, which have total efficiencies in excess of 90%

Catering / Kitchen

1.     Switch appliances off when not required: Kitchen equipment generates heat and if left on will make the kitchen less comfortable to work in as well as waste energy

2.     Carry out regular maintenance on catering equipment: Develop and carry out regular maintenance programmes for cooking, refrigeration and washing equipment. Routine scheduled maintenance is necessary to ensure efficient operation of modern catering equipment. It will also increase equipment lifespan, prevent unscheduled breakdowns and increase food safety and hygiene. This can yield savings in the region of 2-25%. Regular cleaning of ventilation systems can also increase efficiency by as much as 50% compared with un-maintained systems

3.     Purchase and install energy efficient catering equipment: When purchasing new cooking, washing, refrigeration, or ventilation equipment, care should be taken to specify the most efficient product available within the

4.     Use equipment sensibly: Choose the right size pan to fit the hob and use pan lids. Use a frying pan instead of a griddle for just one customer. Keep chiller and freezer door openings to a minimum. Dishwashers should only be used on full loads. Power drying cycles can be very expensive – try shortening the drying times and use the residual heat in the machine to dry the dishes

Cooling and Air Conditioning

1.     Make sure set points are appropriate: The ideal set point for cooling buildings is 24o C. Cooling much below this results in significantly higher costs

2.     Avoid simultaneous heating and cooling: By setting heating and cooling systems correctly, it is possible to avoid situations where air conditioning and heating systems are operating at the same time thereby wasting energy. Heating should be set to come on at 19o C and off at 21o C

3.     Keep windows closed: Opening windows and doors when heating or cooling allows ingress of air and greatly increases the load on heating and cooling systems.

4.     Use the natural climate: Air conditioning and mechanical ventilation are not always required. Switching them off and making good use of outside air for "free cooling" whenever possible should be encouraged

5.     Maintain equipment: Air filters, coils, inlet screens and heat exchange surfaces should be cleaned regularly to avoid the build up of dir

Swimming Pools

1.     Install a pool cover: Pool covers reduce convective and evaporative heat losses from the pool and allow pool hall ventilation to be reduced without a resulting rise in relative humidity.

2.     Set the pool water temperature control correctly: Using a portable temperature probe to check the water temperature in various parts of the pool daily and set the controls accordingly. The optimum temperature will depend on the pool activity (27, 28, 29, and 30o C for fitness, recreation, leisure, and children respectively). A rise of even 0.5o C will result in a substantial increase in energy use, because of the high thermal capacity of water. This will also result in an increased rate of evaporation and subsequently ventilation requirements

3.     Use correct backwashing procedures: Backwashing is the reversing of the water flow to clean the filters. Regular cleaning of the filters (see manufacturers maintenance guidelines) is imperative to ensure acceptable pool water quality. Correct backwashing procedures could save 5-10% of pool water heating costs, as well as substantial savings from reduced water usage.

4.     Install a heat recovery system on the pool hall ventilation system: Heat recovery is the transfer of heat from a warmer source (outgoing air or water) to a cooler source (incoming air or water). Used with pool hall ventilation systems, heat recovery can reduce energy requirements for heating by 30% with a payback period of between 3-5 years.

Purchasing

1.     Buy energy efficient equipment: When purchasing energy consuming equipment, it is important that the ongoing operating costs are considered when specifying and making a purchasing decision. In the case of motors for example, over a typical life of ten years, a motor will consume almost 100 times its purchase cost in electricity

2.     Understand your energy bills: Understand how much you are paying for energy, how much you are using and when you are using it. Depending on your tariff, you could make savings by operating your equipment at different hours, or shutting off high electrical consuming equipment during peak hours.

3.     Use energy assessment software: Energy suppliers may be able to provide value added services such as online facilities or software packages to assist a firm in reviewing their energy usage patterns and identify saving opportunities.

Steps to reducing energy consumption

Heating

1.     Avoid overheating bedrooms and corridor areas. This is not only expensive, it can also be uncomfortable for guests; aim for 19-21°C

2.     Ensure good control of your heating system. Use timer switches and thermostatic radiator valves, and check that thermostats are unaffected by draughts, sunlight, radiators and fireplaces

3.     Service your boiler regularly. This could help you save up to 10% of your annual heating costs

4.     Ensure that pipework feeding bedrooms and common areas is well insulated

Hot water

1.     Do not overheat hot water. A temperature of 60°C is ideal:it provides comfortable hot water and is hot enough to kill legionella bacteria

2.     Consider fitting spray water taps, as they use less hot water and energy

3.     Make sure that leaking taps are repaired promptly

4.     Ensure that pipework is well insulated

Air conditioning

1.     Avoid operating the heating and cooling systems simultaneously. This can be a common problem in hotels. Switch off heating when a temperature of 21°C has been reached. In addition, back-of-house temperatures can probably be set lower than those at front of house

2.     Avoid using air conditioning for cooling until the temperature exceeds 23-24°C

3.     Implement a building management system (BEMS). These systems control and monitor heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and can reduce total energy costs by 10% or more

Lighting

1.     Install occupancy and daylight sensors so that your lights are only on when required

2.     Use low-energy lighting. Replace tungsten GLS lamps and T12 fluorescent tubes with much more energy efficient items such as T5 tubes or compact fluorescent or LED lamps. These could help you reduce the electricity you consume for lighting by up to 80%. Furthermore, some of the newer bulb types last more than eight times longer than tungsten GLS lamps, and, as they produce less heat, they will put less strain on the cooling required from your air conditioning system

Refrigeration

1.     Defrost fridges regularly; check the seals on cold rooms and fridges; and keep condensers and evaporators clean

2.     When replacing or buying new, look for energy efficient units such as those that are A rated. If possible, buy A++ units, as they have the lowest electrical running costs

3.     Keep fridge doors closed as much as possible