Have you heard of the Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) e-toolkit? It?s a product of the World Tourism Organisation and its associates. The toolkit is an initiative designed to help hoteliers work out the carbon footprints of their hotels and create strategies to achieve the dual goal of becoming more environmentally friendly and saving money on power.

Who doesn?t like to save money and save the world? Talk about killing two birds with one stone…

Who is the Hotel Energy Solutions toolkit for?

The toolkit is currently designed for and being tested in European hotels. There are plans to make it a global resource, but in the meantime, non-European hoteliers can use the framework of the toolkit to apply the energy principles to their own hotels.

The toolkit provides you with incredibly useful information about the energy usage of your hotel. Features include the following:

• Energy performance reports
• Personalised energy technology solutions
• Carbon footprint report
• Return on investment calculator.

How the toolkit works

Firstly, you as a hotelier have to answer energy-related questions about your hotel. You need about 40 minutes, your hotel?s energy bills, and information about any renewable energy equipment your hotel uses in order to complete the questionnaire.

Once the questionnaire has been completed, you?ll have access to the energy toolkit?s ?application components?. You?ll also get the following reports about your hotel:

• Energy performance report
• Energy solutions report
• Carbon footprint report.

What are the benefits for your hotel?

The benefits are quite convincing:

Understand how much energy you could save

Based on your answers in the questionnaire, you?ll be provided with the six most fitting energy efficient and renewable energy solutions for your hotel. In addition, the energy solutions fact sheets will give you an overview of the costs, usage of the energy solution, and further useful information.

Measure your energy usage

Within only 40 minutes, you can complete the questionnaire leading to your energy performance reports, helping you to keep track of your energy usage. You have to know where you are before you know where you?re going!

Compare your results with similar hotels and measure your progress

From energy efficiency to renewable energy solutions, take care of your energy performance your way on your time. By saving your data and re-evaluating different years of your energy use, you can analyse and review your energy performance, and benchmark it against hotels in a similar situation.

Reduce costs and market your activities

By choosing one or more possible energy solutions, you could decrease your energy costs and thus increase your profits. In addition, by implementing action plans and getting tangible results, you could use this as a marketing tool to promote your commitment toward climate change mitigation to your guests, positioning yourself as a responsible hotelier.

What tools (application components) are part of the toolkit?

Benchmarking tool

At this time, the benchmarking tool allows small and medium European hospitality establishments to measure their energy performance and carbon footprint in comparison with similar enterprises.

Decision support tool

The decision support tool uses the questionnaire to recommend the best energy solutions for the hotel in question. It takes into account practicality, cost- effectiveness, the level of investment required and best practices.

Carbon footprint calculator

The carbon footprint calculator measures your hotel?s impact on the climate. It estimates your greenhouse gas emissions, different types of fuel consumption and renewable energy use. It also provides information about how to reduce emissions.

ROI calculator

The return on investment calculator evaluates the best investment options for a hotel?s suggested energy technology solutions.

Technological Solutions Sheets

Technological solutions sheets offer ideas on how to reduce energy consumption depending on the investment you?re willing to make. Sheets give ideas ranging from no/small investment, to high investment and renewable energy use.

Case Studies and Best Practices

These are useful for research into what has and hasn?t worked in a variety of hotels around Europe.

Success stories

So far, case studies have been carried out on various hotels in France, Spain, Germany and Bulgaria with great success. According to traveldailynews.com:

While built for European Union Member States in line with EU Energy Policies, the project is expected to be rolled out globally over the coming years. Once adapted for non- EU Member States, the project will benefit hotels worldwide, thus contributing to climate change mitigation while helping hotels increase business profits.”

What can I do about energy sustainability in my hotel right now?

A good idea would be to follow the HES “Guidelines for Energy Management”. Adapted for a non-European hotel, they are:

1. Assess
   Estimate your energy usage and consumption.
2. Act
   Identify the best investment options to reduce your energy consumption and related impacts.
3. Develop your strategy
   Invest in the energy technology solutions that offer the best return on investment and market your commitment.
4. Monitor
   Measure the effect of your strategy every year.

Sound advice for any resourceful hotelier! HES also offers an online “energy school” to help hoteliers in their current energy situation. The school covers topics such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change and more.

For more information visit the Hotel Energy Solutions website at http://hotelenergysolutions.net/.