Energy Profiles

I don’t think I have ever appreciated a hotel as much as I did during a trip to Houston for a cleantech tradeshow Smartcool was exhibiting at a few years ago. The humidity was off the charts and it felt like I was slowly melting into the sidewalk going to and from the show each day. But the second I stepped into that hotel, everything was perfect.

The temperature was just right- not frigid, but certainly cool enough to be a fantastic antidote for the sweaty, sticky heat outside.   My room was lit softly, a welcome relief from the glaring sun, but still bright enough to read and work comfortably. And best of all, I had full control over everything in my small empire- dimmers for the lights, temperature control and timers for the air conditioning.

These much-appreciated conveniences come at a steep price for hotels who spend an average of 6 to 10% of all operating costs on energy. Up to 75% of that is eaten up by space conditioning, with an average of 30% just for air conditioning. For hotels in hotter climates (like steamy Houston), air conditioning energy consumption is closer to 50% and represents a major burden on a hotel’s bottom line.

Did you know supermarkets have a dark side? And it’s not just the impulse-buy section at the checkout where you pass innocently by and somehow leave the store with a tabloid comparing bodies of celebrities you’ve never heard of, another “green” shopping bag (but this one matches my shoes!) and a 16^th pack of gum that you will forget to use.

The real dark side of supermarkets is in the back of the store, where customers never get to venture. This is where an astronomical amount of energy gets eaten up in the day to day operation of the store.