Small changes into daily hotel operations can lead to extraordinary results. Beginning in early 2010, the 118-room Hilton Garden Inn – Knoxville West made the commitment to reduce its daily operation costs through energy efficiency and green technologies. A wide variety of energy conservation measures (ECM) were recommended by EcoGreenHotel and approved by M. Gibson Hotels Group. The project included innovative products such as US Energy Solution’s Energy Patrol and Boiler Management System, an ozone laundry upgrade, swimming pool saltwater conversion, and a liquid pool blanket.

“As an investment and management company, we are always looking for ways to reduce our operating costs throughout our portfolio of hotels to increase the ROI for our investors, “ said Michael Gibson, Founder and CEO of M.Gibson Hotels Group. “EcoGreenHotel’s E2A (Energy Efficiency Analysis) introduced us to several energy conservation measures and, with their vendor neutral approach, together we built a comprehensive energy strategy we felt comfortable investing precious capital towards. Since installation Scott and his team continue to measure results and provide us with detailed reporting that allow us to show our investors true savings and a return on their investment.”

EcoGreenHotel led the project implementation and scheduled the installation without upsetting the day-to-day operations of the hotel.“We evaluated, recommended and managed the installation of energy efficiency measures that are already delivering strong returns for the Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West. EcoGreenHotel specializes in the select service market and have partnered with the best providers of technologies geared at this sector of hotels,“ notes Scott Parisi, President of EcoGreenHotel.

The difficult part of any energy conservation project is to balance the investment costs and potential cost savings with out exceeding a limited budget. EcoGreenHotel’s recommendations for this project all provided reasonable payback periods while delivering above average cost savings. Two of the most effective solutions implemented were the Guest Room Energy Management System and an Ozone Laundry system.

The Energy Patrol Energy Management system allows hotel management to gain precise control of the PTAC units in guest rooms through the use of motion sensors tied to the in-room thermostats. “More and more hoteliers are viewing sustainability projects as some of the most financially attractive investments that they can make. Our Energy Patrol System reduced HVAC waste by up to 45% per occupied room. Our system will have a great impact on the bottom line, while providing a return on investment of approximately two years,” said Kevin Hall, President US Energy Solutions.

The benefits of ozone as a powerful cleaning agent have been studied for over 100 years. Only recently have limited service hotels been able to take full advantage of its tremendous cleaning power in laundry operations. The Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West installed a small-scale system to work with its two 75-lb washers. The results have been very positive allowing a reduction in the use of laundry chemicals and terrific energy savings. Ozone acts as a powerful oxidizer and increases the saponification effects of the wash chemicals that allow for lower washing temperatures between 95°F to 115°F instead of the traditional 140°F to 160°F, with no sacrifice in cleaning power.

Looking beyond the most common energy conservation measures, EcoGreenHotel recommended two innovative solutions for the indoor swimming pool:

The first is a liquid pool blanket. The Heatsavr system automatically applies a biodegradable liquid that floats on the surface of the water to greatly reduce heat loss by slowing the evaporation rate. The invisible liquid blanket is very effective in reducing the steam loss per hour. The Hilton Garden Inn’s pool is experiencing energy bill reductions between 15% and 30%. For every dollar spent on Heatsavr, hotel owners will see three dollars in savings.

Finally, EcoGreenHotel recommended a green technology solution that does not reduce energy use; however it did provide excellent cost savings. Converting the standard chlorine swimming pool to a saltwater pool was relatively inexpensive and took less than an hour for installation with a simple cut in to the pool equipment lines. The pay back was tremendous, allowing for pool chemical cost to be reduced from $150.00 a month for dry chlorine tablets and crystals to less than $10.00 a month for 25-lb bags of salt.

Overall the energy conservation measures have resulted in a 25% reduction in energy and natural gas usage as compared to last year. All of the energy conservation measures are projected to be paid for with the savings within 24 months. As energy prices rise over the next five years the Hilton Garden Inn Knoxville West will be well ahead of its competition.

About M. Gibson Hotels Group

M. Gibson Hotels Group is an investment, development and management company with over 36 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, building expertise through multi-unit management and conceptual development of hotels and freestanding theme restaurants. They are a franchisee with InterContinental Hotel Group, Hilton Hotels Corporation, and Marriott International Inc. and offer hotel construction, development, interior design, project management, accounting, sales and marketing services through a team of dedicated professionals.

About EcoGreenHotel

EcoGreenHotel LLC (Robbinsville, NJ), is a privately held company dedicated to helping lodging facilities address a broad spectrum of sustainability issues. The company provides information, tools, checklists, current news and trends to the hospitality industry through its website, www.EcoGreenHotel.com. The company also runs an online marketplace for green products and services at www.EcoGreenHotelStore.com. In addition to the online offerings, EcoGreenHotel provides customized consulting services tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry in the areas of energy efficiency and certifications, including LEED, Green Seal and Energy Star. For those properties that have reached certified levels of sustainability, EcoGreenHotel assists with marketing services to position the properties within the growing “green” space and enhance revenue. For further information, email info@EcoGreenHotel.com or call 888-229-0213.

Source: EcoGreenHotel

US Energy Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a contract to install their Ozone Laundry Support System, and BECMS system in four hotels owned and operated by Kana Hotel Group. The Ozone Laundry Support System allows the laundry to wash in cold water versus hot water,thereby saving 90% or more on natural gas costs. In addition to the energy savings, there has been a noticeable improvement in the quality of the linens since the first system was installed over four months ago.

The BECMS system is a demand control system for domestic hot water that reduces the cost of heating hot water by 30% or more. Both of these system have a return on investment for the hotel of 1 to 2 years. Also, these systems do not have any negative impact on guest comfort or satisfaction.

“We are honored to have been chosen by Kana Hotel Group to install our systems at these four hotels, said Kevin Hall, President of US Energy Solutions, Inc. We were confident that our systems would deliver the results that we promised. We are pleased to report that since the first installation over four months ago, the results have continued to meet or exceed expectations. 

About Kana Hotel Group. Kana Hotel Group provides comprehensive management services to the hotel and resort industries. Kana Hotel Group offers a full range of hospitality management services to support owners, investors, and lenders of hotels and resorts.

About US Energy Solutions, Inc.

US Energy Solutions provides energy efficient solutions resulting in proven cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. US Energy Solutions provides customers these solutions, some of which are proprietary, in various markets and specializes in the hospitality industry. For additional information visit www.usenergysolutions.net.

US Energy Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have completed the installation of their Energy Patrol System and their BECMS system at the Hilton Garden Inn in Knoxville,TN. The Energy Patrol System is an occupancy based guest room energy management system that reduces HVAC energy consumption by 25% to 45%. The BECMS system is a demand control system for domestic hot water that reduces the cost of heating hot water by 30% or more. Both of these system have a return on investment for the hotel of 1 to 2 years. Also, these systems do not have any negative impact on guest comfort or satisfaction.

“We are very excited to have been chosen by M Gibson Hotels to install our systems for this property , said Kevin Hall, President of US Energy Solutions, Inc. Hoteliers are increasingly finding that sustainability initiatives are becoming more and more financially attractive, and some of the best investments they can make. Hoteliers are also viewing sustainability initiatives as creating a competitive advantage as more customers are choosing to do business with hotels that have implemented sustainability practices".

About M Gibson Hotels. M Gibson Hotels is an investment, development, and management company with over 36 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, building expertise through multi-unit management and conceptual development of hotels and free-standing theme restaurants.

About US Energy Solutions, Inc.

US Energy Solutions provides energy efficient solutions resulting in proven cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. US Energy Solutions provides customers these solutions, some of which are proprietary, in various markets and specializes in the hospitality industry. For additional information visit www.usenergysolutions.net.

US Energy Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce that they will be offering franchising opportunities. Franchisees will be able to offer US Energy Solutions’ services and products to their customers, which significantly reduce energy costs, and help customers reach their sustainability goals.

“We are looking forward to awarding franchises to entrepreneurs that are looking for a great business opportunity, and want to provide sustainable solutions and services via our proven system and solutions, said Kevin Hall, President of US Energy Solutions, Inc. “For us, this is a logical step in helping grow our business and allow us to meet current and anticipated demand for our solutions and services. We also believe that our franchise model will be very attractive to people that are looking for a great franchising opportunity that is relatively low in cost compared with many franchises”.

Due to the fact that US Energy Solutions’ model is business-to-business consulting, franchisees can operate their business from their home if desired. Therefore, franchisees will not have to incur the typical expenses associated with building out a location, paying monthly rent, utilities, etc. In addition, franchisees will not be required to pay royalties based on sales revenue, which will allow them to maximize profitability and their return on investment.

About US Energy Solutions, Inc.

US Energy Solutions provides energy efficient solutions resulting in proven cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. US Energy Solutions provides customers these solutions, some of which are proprietary, in various markets and specializes in the hospitality industry. For additional information visit www.usenergysolutions.net

US Energy Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have completed an energy project for Automatic Data Processing at their Buena Park, California location. The project involved a major lighting upgrade from T12 lighting to T8 lighting. The project has reduced the energy costs related to lighting by over 35%, while also improving the light quality in the building. Including the rebates provided by Southern California Edison, in which US Energy Solutions filed for and completed the paper work on behalf of ADP, the return on investment for ADP will be about one year.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Automatic Data Processing on this project. ADP is recognized as one of the most admired and successful companies in the world, and we are honored that ADP considered us and eventually chose us for this project, said Kevin Hall, President of US Energy Solutions, Inc. We look forward to working together with ADP on future projects to help them reduce their energy costs, meet their sustainability goals, and reduce their carbon footprint.

About Automatic Data Processing. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADP), with nearly $9 billion in revenues and about 570,000 clients, is one of the world's largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. Leveraging 60 years of experience, ADP offers the widest range of HR, payroll, tax and benefits administration solutions from a single source. ADP's easy-to-use solutions for employers provide superior value to companies of all types and sizes. ADP is also a leading provider of integrated computing solutions to auto, truck, motorcycle, marine and recreational vehicle dealers throughout the world.

About US Energy Solutions, Inc.

US Energy Solutions provides energy efficient solutions resulting in proven cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. US Energy Solutions provides customers these solutions, some of which are proprietary, in various markets and specializes in several vertical markets. For additional information visit www.usenergysolutions.net.

US Energy solutions is pleased to announce the first installation of our ozone laundry support system in Central America at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. “We are very pleased with this project as our ozone solution has reduced the cost of heating the laundry water by 90%” said Kevin Hall, President of US Energy Solutions, Inc. “In addition, our solution has also cut the dyer times by about 50% which has also greatly reduced fuel costs. Management is very excited with not only the energy savings, but also that the quality of the linens has improved since installing our system.”

About US Energy Solutions, Inc.

US Energy Solutions distributes energy efficient solutions resulting in proven cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. US Energy Solutions provides customers these solutions in various markets such as supermarkets, food distributors, telecommunications companies, hospitals, hotels, universities ,and government.

Degree Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Energy Solutions, Inc. was awarded a one year extension to an existing government contract by the Navy Exchange Service Command . This is the second renewal of the contract by the Navy Exchange Service Command. Degree Technologies is honored to have the opportunity to work with the Navy Exchange Service Command to help them reduce their energy expenses and work toward acheiving the goals set out in the 2005 EPACT legislation signed by President Bush. The contract also allows other government agencies, entities, and braches to utilize the contract as a vehicle to complete energy cost reduction projects.