Business Gas and Electricity News

How to Make Hotels and Restaurants More Energy Efficient

16 February 2017

How to Make Hotels and Restaurants More Energy Efficient

Reducing energy consumption in hotels and restaurants helps to reduce costs, but it can also help improve customer service levels. Here are some steps you can take to ensure your business is as energy efficient as possible.

• Maintain boilers - heating and hot water account for a significant amount of energy used in hotels and restaurants. Maintaining your boilers and getting them serviced will ensure they run efficiently. This also helps prevent breakdowns.

• Don't overheat corridor areas - overheating corridor areas in hotels can cause discomfort to guests, as well as increasing the cost of your energy bills.

• Don't overheat customer areas - it is possible to overheat restaurants, lobby areas, rooms, and other locations that customers use. This can be because temperatures are set too high or because the controls stop working properly. Make sure you check this regularly.

• Insulate pipework - to prevent wastage in your heating system.

• Switch off extraction hoods when not in use - extraction hoods are important in kitchens, but only when in use. Otherwise, turn them off so they don't use electricity, and so they don't remove heated or cooled air.

• Make sure your hot water is at the right temperature - you need water hot enough to kill bacteria, but it shouldn't be too hot as you will waste energy. About 60°C is right.

• Regularly check heating timers - to ensure rooms are only heated when they are occupied or in use by staff.

• Install spray water taps - they don't affect the performance of the tap or the comfort of the user, but they use less hot water and less energy.

• Don't overuse air conditioning - you don't normally run air conditioning until the temperature on your thermostats rises to somewhere between 24°C and 26°C. Consider this when configuring your air conditioning controls.

• Set temperatures differently in staff-only areas - you might be able to set the heating lower in staff-only areas so it is worth exploring the options.

• Install energy efficient lighting - energy efficient lights use up to 80 percent less energy, and they last longer.

• Install lighting sensors - motion sensors and daylight sensors ensure lights are only switched on when they are needed.

• Check the seals on fridge doors - to ensure cool air is not escaping. If the doors don't have an airtight seal, get them fixed.

• Carry out regular maintenance - regularly cleaning evaporators and condensers, and regularly defrosting fridges and freezers, will help keep them running efficiently.

• Make sure fridge doors are kept closed - encourage your staff to ensure fridge doors are kept closed as much as possible.

• Purchase equipment with good energy efficiency ratings - older devices can use considerably more energy than modern equipment so it is often cost-effective to replace them.

Finally, make sure your team is on board with your energy saving initiatives. If they understand what you are trying to achieve, why, and how you are trying to achieve it, they are more likely to get involved. In fact, you will see them get actively involved – they may even come up with ideas or suggestions of their own.