One of the five pillars of the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge is lowering energy use. Energy usage in hotels has grown to be a significant problem in a world where energy costs are unpredictable and businesses are concerned about the environment. It is essential to employ effective conservation techniques to maintain hotel sustainability in areas like heating, cooling, lighting, and water use. Most of the time, hotels require a reliable energy partner who can aid in expense management and navigation as well. Of course, you should only consider the Energy Project Africa (EPA) as a consultant. We provide assistance in identifying acceptable and practical energy and carbon reduction targets. We aid in the development of a workable sustainability strategy and direct it in the direction of "green" energy sources. Additionally, we examine energy bills to find energy rebates and other incentives. We assess potential compliance issues associated with new rules using our talented data analysts.

Whatever path you choose, we'll walk you through some practical measures hotel management may take right now. It may seem astounding how much electricity a hotel generally uses each month. For instance, packaged terminal air conditioners (PTAC) are responsible for roughly half of the energy used by a hotel over a given month. An estimated one-fourth of hotel energy costs are related to resistance heating. Your monthly energy bills can be significantly decreased with the right hotel energy-saving measures. By implementing simple energy-efficient measures, a hotel can reduce its overall energy costs by 20%.

Hotels may save their monthly energy bills by 10% by maintaining their heating boilers, controlling their air conditioning, and managing their ventilation systems. Hotels may considerably reduce their energy expenditures by using smart lighting systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) has made it possible for hotels to integrate smart technology, just like with all other structures. Install smart thermostats and sensors in your hotel to conserve energy and lower the building's heating and cooling usage. In this manner, settings in various areas across the building will change automatically based on the temperature in a particular unit or hallway. You may save even more money on lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning by using real-time sensors that can identify changes in occupancy on a room-by-room basis (HVAC). Set the floor-to-floor, building-wide heat settings on auto-control at all times to achieve optimal energy conservation throughout a hotel. Utilize thermostats and timer switches to keep energy usage in check, day and night. Check the configuration on a regular basis to make sure that sunshine or drafts aren't damaging the thermostats. Additionally, make sure that radiators and fireplaces are not affecting the thermostat settings. You can replace outdated electrical equipment, which has a huge impact on reducing energy use. Skylights might be included. Systems for remote illumination can be installed. You can change how your hot water systems are set up. These are all "high ticket items," which is the issue. Things that will cost you time and money to implement or install in your hotel even though they will save you money by lowering your energy consumption. However, there are a number of simpler things you can do right away to cut back on your energy use and lower your energy bills before you finally get around to these. These are as follows:

Observation and reporting

The most crucial strategy to save energy is without a doubt to track and report your energy usage. You can't really know where the biggest savings may be made unless you know where you actually spend energy. So establish a monitoring strategy and begin gathering some baseline data. You may start the momentum of good change by analyzing your monitoring data and sharing it with your personnel. It is much simpler to carry on and implement even more constructive improvements if you can clearly see the effects of your work. At EPA, we use the report to and this information to look for opportunities to save energy. Utility metering data is gathered from hotels by the EPA, which then analyzes it to find solutions that could save energy and lower operating costs.

For climate control, use smart technology.

A smart LED lighting system, which incorporates computerized sensors that determine the lighting requirements of each specific location, can help you save even more money on lighting bills than switching to LED lights. The sensors will recognize periods of low activity and turn off the lights in those parts of the building that aren't being used. The lights will turn on as soon as movement is detected to make the space safer to move through. The inconvenience of manually turning lights on and off all across a hotel's property is removed with smart lighting systems. Systems for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) use a lot of energy. Your visitors can use smart climate management to program their room thermostats based on when they will be using the space and when they won't. This indicates that while your hotel maximizes energy savings, guests will be at ease. Win-win situation.

Put in modern heat pumps

Heat pumps are a fantastic technique to reduce the energy use of your HVAC system. When necessary, air-source heat pumps move heat from the inside to the outside of your hotel, warming or cooling the rooms in accordance with the demands of your visitors. These systems are excellent for smaller, more confined places that don't require a comprehensive HVAC system's full capacity. In addition, air-source heat pumps can be profitable given the money you'll save on HVAC expenses. EPA is well endowed with trained and skilled engineers who are versatile in an energy audit that can save energy from being wasted. We will highlight how the various offices in the banking hall should be prioritized to generate the maximum savings for banks with many data that consume energy within the banking premises. It is a relatively straightforward process for us because we are familiar with energy management and where hotels utilize energy, as it only requires walking around your hotel's building and premises and finding areas of concern/interest.

Replace the bulbs

Using energy-efficient light bulbs is one of the simplest ways to lower energy use in your hotel. Building owners have recently reduced energy expenses by installing light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures, which use a lot less energy than fluorescent or even conventional incandescent bulbs. Despite having a greater initial cost, LED lights can live up to eight times longer than incandescent, making them a wise investment. In addition to producing less heat, LED lights are less taxing on your cooling system. As an alternative, if your hotel uses fluorescent bulbs, swap them out with compact fluorescents to save electricity. Energy-efficient light bulbs can drastically reduce costs while providing just as much light as conventional light bulbs, if not more. EPA team of engineers and data analysts are well trained and experienced in the field of an energy audit to give your bank the most effective and efficient energy which reduces the amount of resources you spend on energy on daily basis.

Automate the lighting system with daylight and occupancy sensors

Changing the bulbs is only the first step in optimizing your lighting because modern smart technology now makes it possible to fully automate the setup. Depending on your energy requirements connected to occupancy and usual patterns, it can adjust and vary in real time. Lighting that isn't required might waste a lot of electricity. No matter how frequently your facility is packed to capacity, if the lights are left on throughout your hotel, you risk having to pay hefty energy costs. Install daylight and occupancy sensors all over the building to prevent unnecessary lighting. By doing this, it will be possible to turn off some of the lights in the building's less-used areas for the majority of the day.

You could, for instance, construct a smart system to manage the lighting in a hallway that receives little natural light. You could leave every light on in the hallway during busy periods, but you could leave every other light on during quieter times. All you would need to do to make this adjustment would be to set it once, and it would take care of itself every day.

Install solar panels

One of the best sources of energy for modern technological technologies is the sun. When structures have solar panels installed on their roofs, they can optimize natural energy on clear days and even sell extra solar energy back into the power grid. The amount of energy used by your hotel may be significantly decreased if solar panels were mounted on the roof. Installing solar panels is one of the most typical approaches to address energy usage. Solar panels probably still have a lot to offer, even in regions where it frequently rains and clouds. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, utility costs are decreased, the resilience of your property to power outages is increased, and in many locations, renewable electricity can even create income as utilities increasingly permit selling extra power back into the grid. Energy Project Africa will perform a study to gather the seasonal data required to actualize your off-grid dream. We are frequently involved in the procurement of components and delivery of lead-acid or lithium batteries for use by African communities and companies. This is accomplished with the collaboration of battery manufacturers from advanced countries. The procurement is actualised with work by European and American manufacturers, including Pylontech, which focuses on developing new lithium battery solutions, Schneider, Fullriver; Index-Exide; and Deka.



Cut back on standby power

Even when they are turned off or placed in standby mode, a number of appliances and equipment continue to draw electricity from the grid. Simply unplugging the gadget is the apparent fix, but that isn't always feasible for hotel operations. Instead, you can add outlets with automatic shutdown sockets. To stop the concealed use of standby power, automatic shutdown programs enable you to choose which of your outlets will be completely turned off. For instance, you may turn off kitchen appliances when they aren't in use. As an alternative, you can utilize sensors to decide when to turn the outlet's power back on.

Prevent problems from getting worse

Some issues with energy use can now be identified early thanks to new technology. Your maintenance staff can handle problems before they spiral out of control thanks to predictive monitoring sensors and software, which also lowers the cost of the maintenance process and lowers your energy consumption. Air conditioning can waste energy on days when the temperatures are moderate. To prevent unnecessary air conditioning use, keep the cooling off until the temperatures are above 74 F. Calibrate your thermometers to ensure they read the temperatures correctly and avoid incorrect settings. For instance, an HVAC system may require more energy to provide the desired level of heating and cooling when a component becomes worn. This component may be replaced before it malfunctions, which has the dual advantage of lowering maintenance and usage costs.

Do not overheat the water.

For a variety of uses, including kitchens, laundry rooms, and guest rooms, hotels need to heat water. The legionella bacteria are killed by water at 140°F (60°C), which is also more than warm enough to be comfortable. You have the option to lower the temperature of the water being heated and the accompanying energy consumption if the temperature is above 140°F (60°C). Making sure that pipes are adequately insulated to prevent heat loss and switching to spray water taps, which use less heat/energy, are two more opportunities related to water heating.

Engage your staff

Engaging your workforce will primarily focus on the sustainability of energy reduction. Your workers are locals, even if they won't necessarily profit from the cost savings from lowering your energy use (you can still provide incentives for them). They are aware of the regional sustainability challenges and, if applicable, the strains placed on local utilities during the busy summer months. By reducing your energy use, you may demonstrate to your team that you support making their community more sustainable, which will motivate them to support you and take responsibility for your energy-saving projects. Your employees may be your most valuable resource and staunchest ally. Include them in discussions about any improvements you wish to make because it's possible they know their section of the hotel better than you do. Encourage your workers to submit suggestions for how the hotel might consume less energy. There is a good probability that they will be aware of lights left on unnecessarily, appliances left on unnecessarily, and temperature differences around your hotel. If your personnel is trained in new energy-saving techniques, they will be even more effective when they are used. Make sure your staff is informed of any changes you make so you can prevent needless maintenance requests or persistent negative behavior. Additionally, there are methods to include your personnel, such as by rewarding those who follow sustainable practices or soliciting their ideas for additional ways to lower your hotel's energy usage. Staff members can actively participate as well through their own actions. In contrast to leaving entire workplaces on standby at the end of each working day, turning off appliances and computers at the power source is a terrific, simple place to start.

Inform your visitors.

Make your policies clear; guests are more accepting of sustainable efforts than ever before. To save electricity, you could, for instance, suggest to your visitors that they reuse towels. You can leverage your energy-saving techniques in your communications with visitors to inform them about your eco-friendly practices, as sustainability is a highly desired characteristic in hotels. Your guests can help you in your effort to use less energy. You'll probably find that if you frame it correctly, as an environmental issue, they are willing to assist.

Professional Service

A professional service can save you the time and effort it takes from having to gather all of this information yourself. Energy Africa Project (EPA) is well endowed with trained and skilled engineers who are versatile in energy audit that can transform your home energy. We highlight how the various rooms should be prioritized to generate the maximum savings for hotels with many units that consume energy within the premises. It is a relatively straightforward process with EPA because we are familiar with energy management and where homes utilize energy, as it only requires walking around your home and finding areas of concern/interest. We will go through different aspects of your energy usage and identify key outliers, just like you would do in your own audit. The benefits of engaging our service against using your own two hands include:

A significant saving of time spent doing other things.
A more professional look at where you could be saving energy and costs.
EPA will take into consideration a number of factors – the size of your guests, the appliances in each guest room and much more.

One of the goals of an energy audit is to assist you in developing a strategy for lowering your energy bills. We will be able to speed up this process if we have all of the relevant information. To complete a preliminary energy consumption estimate, EPA looks at your utility data, building or system schematics, equipment inventories, and other facility information. Throughout the energy use research, we will collect and analyse at least two years of utility data to account for seasonal variations and patterns of energy demand. Monthly utility bill data is the most typical; however, utilities are increasingly making hourly or more frequent interval meter data available. This analysis should encompass all forms of energy (electricity, gas, oil, and water).

EPA will use this information to compute the Energy Utilization Index (EUI) value (annual energy use/square footage) and energy end uses for your facility (energy used by each guest room system under your business premises). The EUI and base energy load allow us to compare this data to energy consumption in similar buildings and systems, illustrating the magnitude of possible energy savings and providing an early estimate of prospective savings.

Our team of experts will also look for changes in energy consumption over time and possible explanations. We then generate a preliminary report, which will include a summary of data, graphs, and other visualizations for easy interpretation. The results of this study can help choose the level of audit to do; we will also suggest recommendations in the audit report.

E.P.A. (Energy Projects Africa) through her Energy audits and feasibility solution helps stakeholders make data-driven decisions in the clean energy space via real-time quantitative research and feasibility studies. If you need a partner with hands-on local expertise in the renewable energy space or any of our bespoke solutions/services, kindly visit Mail hello@energy-projects.africa to learn more.