Utility management for hotels
Utility management guide for hotels
Energy and water saving ideas for the hotel industry
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Utility management for hotels
Managing Utility Costs for Hotels
Managing utility costs for a hotel is slightly more daunting than managing utility costs for other types of businesses. For
starters, a hotel is a 24/7 business and energy will be used around the clock. In addition, whilst any organisation (including
hotels) can train their staff on energy efficiency measures a hotel also has hundreds of non-staff coming through its doors every
day (and the energy usage of non-staff is a lot more difficult to control).
However, there are energy efficiency measures available to hotels in order to lower consumption and cost. We have a plentiful
amount of guides with energy saving ideas for any type of business, however this guide will provide strategies and measures
specifically for the hotel industry to keep their bills and consumption under control.
Opportunities for energy reduction
We’ve already identified that one of the major headaches of controlling utility costs in a hotel is the guests. Management on
one hand want to ensure guests are comfortable but on the other hand want the bottom line improved. We therefore have
separated our guide into two sections: advice for the staff areas and advice for the communal and guest areas.
In the staff areas
We mentioned earlier that it can be difficult to manage energy consumption in a hotel because you can’t control the
consumption of the guests. However, a hotel can introduce measures to the staff only areas and encourage staff participation.
Lighting
Whilst the guest areas of a hotel are required to be ambient, in the staff area regular energy efficiency bulbs are sufficient. If an
area of a hotel doesn’t require continuous bright lights for health and safety reasons, sensors can be installed which turn off
automatically when no movement has been sensed for a set period of time. Also remember to put signs above light switches
reminding staff to turn lights off at the end of the day in areas where a sensor wouldn’t be safe (such as the kitchen).
Heating
It is between you and your staff what temperature the staff areas are to be set at. However make use of timer switches and
thermostatic radiator valves. Also ensure thermostats are located in areas where an accurate reading won’t be affected such as
away from direct sunlight or beside a radiator. All boilers throughout the hotel should be serviced by a professional (gas-fire
boilers once a year; oil-boilers twice a year) and all boilers and pipes should be well insulated.
Staff Training
One of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption in any business is to fully engage staff members. It is however
slightly easier to get new staff on board with energy efficiency measures than long term staff members, which makes a good
training programme of paramount importance. When training new staff managers should take them for a walk through the
hotel and include their energy efficiency measures in the training:
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Which lights need to be switched off and which need to be on at all times for health and safety reasons
Optimum temperature for each area and how to work the thermostat
Whilst only trained professionals should fix a boiler make sure staff know the warning signs that the boiler might not be
working properly
Numbers of who to call when there is a problem
What faults (or potential soon-to-be faults) need to be checked for when rooms are vacant
We have included a further section in this guide with advice on staff maintenance for other areas of the hotel. It is also
recommended that managers consider sending key staff on external facility management training courses.
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Utility management for hotels
In the guest areas
The rooms and communal areas can be trickier to improve energy efficiency because of the aforementioned point that
managers can’t control the consumption of guests and want a comfortable atmosphere. There are however measures a hotel
can implement within the non-staff areas to make them as energy efficient as possible.
Heating
The warmth of guests is important in both the winter and summer. As a guide The Carbon Trust have created recommended
temperatures for each area of a hotel as below:
Room type
Temperature (ºC)
Bars, lounges
20-22
Guest bathrooms
26-27
Guest bedrooms
19-21
Restaurants and dining rooms
22-24
Corridors
19-21
Kitchens
16-18
Laundries
16-19
Source: Carbon Trust
We’ve mentioned it already but ensure that thermostats are located away from direct sunlight, radiators or anything else that
could cause an inaccurate reading. In the summer try and use as much natural ventilation as possible and install air
conditioning which has several speeds and only use the maximum setting if it is required. Be careful that heating is not being
lost through poor insulation and regularly check for drafts around windows and doors.
Hallway and Foyer
During the night use a timer to lower the temperature slightly in the hallway. Not many guests will be in the hallway at that
time so a hotel can reduce their thermostat slightly overnight.
Because a hotel regularly has numerous people in it who are not familiar with the building, fire exists need to be clearly
signposted. In order to reduce lighting costs hotels can purchase LED fire exit signs to install above fire doors. They can also
purchase luminous safety signs for other parts of the building.
Bedrooms
The energy usage in the bedrooms can be the most difficult to control as, mentioned previously, you can’t control how much
energy your guests use. However there is technology a hotel can install to make sure the set-up is energy efficient.
Lighting
The first thing would be to fit energy efficient light bulbs into the room and carefully consider how many lights guests actually
require, for example could desk lamps and wall lamps go amiss? You can also set up motion sensor light switches which will
turn off after not sensing movement after a certain period of time in case guests leave lights on when they vacate or fall sleep.
If a hotel uses swipe cards for room entry they can set up a system which will turn lights off automatically when guests leave
(systems can also be set up to turn on heating remotely from reception when guests arrive).
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Utility management for hotels
Spa and leisure centre
If a hotel has a spa or leisure facility then their costs will be significantly higher compared to a hotel that doesn’t. Whilst these
facilities are a great addition for guests they drive up the utility bills, so hotels which include them as part of their package
should also implement energy efficiency measures.
Swimming pools
Just like the heating for the rest of the hotel, the temperature of the swimming pool is important both for energy efficiency and
guest comfort. The CIBSE has published guideline temperatures for different pool types as below:
Pool type
Temperature (°C)
Conventional
28°C
Leisure
29°C
Hydrotherapy
32-40°C
Spa
40°C
Source: CIBSE Guide G Public Health Engineering (2004) (as printed by The Carbon Trust)
It is also recommended that hotels install a pool cover and use this when the pool is not in use to prevent heat escaping. In
some instances when a full cover is used, ventilation can be turned off and condensation will still not occur. Remember to do
the same for jacuzzis.
Gym
Switch off all gym equipment when not in use and carefully consider what number of gym equipment is suitable for the size of
the hotel. Also consider how many machines need to be turned on depending on the time of day. For example, at low activity
periods only one type of each machine may need to be turned on. Also have gym staff perform regular walk rounds checking
that unused machinery is not unnecessarily turned on.
Maintenance and house keeping
Maintaining energy efficient technology is just as important as installing it. A small hotel will not likely have an onsite Facilities
Manager but a regular member of staff can familiarise themselves with all equipment and receive external training on
maintaining the site (this service can also be outsourced). Important things to check include:
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The insulation of boilers, hot water tanks, pipes and valves
Maintain a schedule of regular boiler servicing
Drafts on all windows and doors
Hotels should make it part of their housekeeping schedule to maintain energy efficiency. A good way to do this is to have
cleaning staff check certain things within the rooms. Whilst cleaning staff would be unlikely to be trained to fix these things,
being in the rooms regularly puts them in position to check things such as:
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Leaking taps
Drafts from windows and doors
If all heating and air conditioning is working
If all electrical equipment is working properly (if there’s a mini fridge consider making it their responsibility to defrost it)
If the room is due to be vacant for an extended period, turning down the heating
It is also a good idea to include in the room a feedback form which includes questions on how they found the
temperature and lighting of the hotel
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Utility management for hotels
Further reading
Whilst the advice in this guide is aimed specifically at hotels some suggestions can be used across different industries.
However, BCC has published several guides which cater to no specific industry and offers advice all businesses should
follow, such as procuring energy contracts and checking bills for errors. You can read our blog here, and check out our
other guides here. You can also download a copy of our Managing Director’s book A Guide to Successful Energy
Procurement.
Other websites:
The Carbon Trust
www.carbontrust.com/resources
Energy Saving Trust
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/businesses
DECC
SME Guide to Energy Efficiency
Money Saving Expert
www.moneysavingexpert.com/small-business
Ofgem
www.ofgem.gov.uk/business-consumers
0141 226 8525
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Energy management services:
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Energy audit
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Procurement strategy
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