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<P><I><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=4 FACE="Palatino Linotype">Colleagues,</FONT></I>
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<P><I><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=4 FACE="Palatino Linotype">Here is a list of money-saving tips from the Green Lodging Newsletter that I thought you'd benefit from.</FONT></I>
<BR><B><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Times New Roman">Money-Saving Tips: Energy Management</FONT></B>
<BR><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">05/30/2006 </FONT>
<BR><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> During low occupancy periods, place guests in closely-located guestrooms.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Install energy management systems in guestrooms, meeting rooms and other public spaces.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Hire an energy expert to conduct an audit of your hotel.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Ask your energy providers or local government if they offer any type of incentive program for implementing energy-efficient equipment or processes.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Improperly maintained air handlers can waste up to 32 percent of the energy they consume. Check HVAC controls for proper calibration.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Check all duct work for air leaks and repair where appropriate. Air ducts should be cleaned monthly.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Check all electrical systems for loose connections or poor motor conditions. Without proper preventive maintenance, these systems typically generate a 5 to 10 percent energy loss.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Purchase renewable energy from your local utility.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Shut down office equipment such as photocopiers and computer monitors when not in use.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Explore the purchase of a fuel cell power generator.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Install energy misers on vending machines.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Install thermal-glass windows.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> In hotels with whirlpools in use, keep the aerator on only when needed.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Furnaces and boilers should be completely inspected by a professional mechanical contractor at least once or twice a year.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Electric meters should be submetered to make it easy to identify the largest electricity users at the hotel and to recognize problem areas. Set targets for energy consumption per meter.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> In swimming pools, remove foreign material from the strainer baskets in the skimmer and pump regularly to maximize water recirculation.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Operate your pool pump during off peak hours.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Implement an employee awareness program and encourage them to report energy waste to managers, maintenance or engineering personnel.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> During the winter, ceiling fans should be set to draw air toward the ceiling.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Shut down one or more of your elevators during periods of light traffic.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Program your elevator to remain stationary on the exiting floor rather than returning to the main floor.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Encourage staff to use stairs when moving between one to two floors when not carrying loads.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Install draperies with thermal reflective liners.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Use light-colored reflective surface on roofs.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Tint windows that receive direct sun.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Assign someone to monitor energy consumption on a consistent basis.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Implement a comprehensive preventive maintenance program to monitor all potential areas of energy consumption.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Turn off coffee makers, hair dryers and other appliances or personal electronics while guestrooms are unoccupied.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Put together a written energy management plan. Key components should include energy forecasting and procurement, facility audits, financial analysis, integrated building upgrades, equipment purchasing, new construction and preventive maintenance.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Use adequate amount of insulation in ceilings, exterior and basement walls, flooring and crawl spaces.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Use solar panels to generate electricity.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Purchase minibars that use LED lighting and that incorporate energy-efficient cooling systems.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Metal tile panel roofing systems can help reduce energy costs. Also consider green roof systems that incorporate soil and plants.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Watch for scale build-up in boilers, hot water heaters, cooling towers, humidifiers, washing machines, dishwashers, and shower heads. Hard water that leaves scale build-up results in more energy consumed. Water conditioning can address scale issues.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Contract with an energy monitoring and reporting service to track utility costs and interpret billing trends.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Beware of energy vultures: plugged in appliances, radios, clocks and other items that are on around the clock.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Be cautious of energy remarketers when planning your energy purchasing strategy. Locking in rates can actually eliminate incentives to save energy.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Participate in as many Energy Star programs as possible.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Purchase computer products that meet the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) standard. They meet the Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Purchase hand dryers with automatic sensor controls.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Train housekeepers to turn off lighting and heating and cooling equipment when not needed. Provide bilingual instructions. Spanish-speaking employees typically think in terms of Centigrade, rather than Fahrenheit. This can cause difficulty for them in setting thermostats to the proper temperature. Issuing each room attendant a simple placard with a sketch showing a typical guestroom thermostat setting can easily resolve this problem.<BR>
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</FONT><FONT FACE="Tahoma">•</FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> Weather stripping on outside entrances typically lasts less than two years. Placing a brush-type of weather stripping that does not affect the operation of the door and that provides a good seal from the outside cold weather will pay handsome dividends. <BR>
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<P><I><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=5 FACE="Georgia">Visit us on the Web at: </FONT></I><A HREF="file://www.p2pays.org"><I><U></U><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=5 FACE="Georgia">www.p2pays.org</FONT></U></I></A><I></I>
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<P><FONT COLOR="#008000" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">Tom Rhodes</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">Environmental Specialist</FONT>
<BR><I><FONT COLOR="#800000" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">NC WasteTrader.com</FONT></I>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">NC Division of Pollution Prevention & Environmental Assistance</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">1639 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699</FONT>
<BR><FONT COLOR="#008000" FACE="Georgia">(919) 715-6516</FONT>
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