With our range of HVAC and commercial boiler services, we can enhance energy efficiency in hotels
With the Easter holidays approaching, it’s a busy time for hotel and guesthouse owners. We know that there’s plenty to occupy attention – not least the guests occupying the rooms. The last thing a hotel needs is a boiler breakdown or an air handling unit that’s acting up. And more broadly, there are concerns about how to cut energy costs to boost the bottom line. Here at Hodgkinson Bennis, we can help to develop energy efficiency in hotels.
New plant and better pipework
Energy is a small proportion of total turnover for hotels or guesthouses. But as The Carbon Trust’s figures show, hot water, heating and air conditioning account for 75% of a typical UK hotel’s energy consumption. This increases markedly for larger establishments with pool or spa facilities.
The obvious place to start in reducing energy consumption is new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment (HVAC). Hodgkinson Bennis are experts at fitting and commissioning new plant in hotels, while maintaining services with minimum disruption. This may be everything from an air handling unit to new control systems such as an optimum start controller.
Another option, depending on the age of the building, may be for us to undertake a simpler redesign of the hot water system. Many older buildings waste hot water through redundancies. While point-of-use heaters might not be appropriate in a hotel, rationalising pipework will still save people having to run the water until it becomes hot. By reducing the length of pipes leading to hot water taps, we can make the design of pipework more efficient.
Preventive maintenance reduces the risks of future failures
We’re also experts in devising a planned preventive maintenance schedule to ensure that systems go on operating at peak efficiency. We can undertake annual gas safety checks for gas equipment. For steam boilers and high-pressure hot water boilers over 110 degrees centigrade, we can undertake Pressure Systems Safety Regulations inspections. Similarly, we can maintain pipework to ensure that heating and hot water are distributed effectively throughout the entire system. And we can maintain water and wastewater equipment too, from self-closing taps for sinks to dual-flush cisterns for lavatories.
Staff and guests can boost energy efficiency in hotels
On a day-to-day basis, it will be staff and contractors who contribute to making an energy efficient hotel. It’s a great idea to incentivise housekeeping staff to report if temperatures diverge from the recommended 19-21oC for guest bedrooms, and 26-27oC for bathrooms. Many systems function inefficiently, because someone made a short-term decision about temperature settings based on particular weather conditions. Meanwhile, using night setback periods allows for lower temperatures in common areas such as corridors to fall to 16oC late at night.
Similarly, excessive heating of stored hot water is wasteful and could scald staff or guests. It’s important to regularly monitor hot water temperature to ensure it remains at its optimum 60oC. This is adequate to kill bacteria and is sufficiently warm for staff and guests to use.
Guests can help out too. Many hotels already have notices in their bathrooms about reusing towels to reduce water and energy usage. Why not replicate that message for other elements in the room too? Hotels can explain how their energy-efficient boiler or cooling system works. And they can encourage guests to avoid opening windows to control the temperature if they’re running air conditioning in their rooms. We can help deliver energy efficiency in hotels over the Easter break – and we’ll leave it up to the Easter bunny to deliver the chocolate eggs.
To find out more about Hodgkinson Bennis and our range of services for enhancing energy efficiency in hotels, contact one of the team today.
Call: 0161 790 4411
About Hodgkinson Bennis hotel HVAC
Hodgkinson Bennis designs, installs, and maintains the most fuel-efficient commercial and industrial boilers. Headquartered in Manchester, we work across the UK, particularly in the North West, North East and throughout the Midlands. Contact us today to discuss how we can deliver advanced commercial and industrial boilers, and our range of other services. At Hodgkinson Bennis, we have worked with commercial and industrial boilers since 1872. This history gives us an enviable amount of experience as pioneers in the industry. We place an enormous emphasis on ensuring the health and safety of all team members, suppliers, contractors, and the public. We provide the most fuel-efficient boiler solutions for industrial and commercial applications.