Cintas Helps Hotels “Go Green” with Energy-Saving Tips
October 15 2012 - 10:14AM
Business Wire
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
lodging industry spends more than $7.5 billion on energy each year.
Further, it estimates that reducing energy use by just 10 percent
across the industry could save $750 million and help reduce U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions by 6 million tons annually. In recognition
of National Energy Awareness Month, Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:
CTAS) today announced six strategies hoteliers can use to reduce
energy consumption and costs. Following these tips enable hoteliers
to drive sustainability within their organizations while lowering
utility bills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“On average, the EPA estimates that America’s 47,000 hotels
spend $2,196 per available room each year on energy,” said Melanie
Boyle, Manager, Sustainability, Cintas. “This number can be
significantly reduced by reviewing current operations and
introducing programs or services that conserve energy.”
Cintas suggests the following strategies for reducing energy
usage in hotels:
1) Deep clean AC units – Because properly cleaned
air conditioning units transfer air more efficiently and at a
higher rate of speed (airflow) than those not properly cleaned,
they require far less energy consumption to run. For example, by
regularly deep cleaning packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC)
units to effectively remove dirt and bacteria buildup from the
units, hoteliers can reduce energy consumption by as much as 17
percent.
2) Use environmentally-friendly apparel – From
blouses, polos and pants to entire suiting collections and even
tuxedos, today’s hoteliers can select from an abundance of
eco-friendly uniforms and apparel. Made from post-consumer material
such as water bottles, these garments require less energy to
manufacture and reduce landfill waste and CO2 emissions.
3) Consider a uniform rental program – Unlike
on-site washing systems, the laundry facilities used by uniform
rental providers often use less water and require less energy and
chemicals. For example, new innovations, such as heat-air recycling
and heat re-claimers, significantly cut down the amount of
electricity and energy needed to launder materials. In addition,
many uniform rental providers reduce garment drying time through
modern moisture measurement methods, significantly saving fossil
fuel and related greenhouse gas emissions.
4) Consider an energy efficiency rebate program –
Many hoteliers today achieve considerable cost and energy savings
by taking advantage of energy efficiency incentive programs. For
example, California’s LodgingSavers program—implemented by Ecology
Action—provides hoteliers with rebates of up to 80 percent of
lighting costs and 100 percent of guestroom energy management
system costs and energy efficient vending machine controllers,
showerheads and pool pumps. Often state-based, these programs start
by surveying a hotel for free and offering up a customized proposal
that outlines ways to save energy. Once approved by the hotelier, a
highly trained contractor makes installations, and rebates are paid
directly to the contractor to minimize capital outlay.
5) Consider a partnership with the EPA – The EPA
offers a voluntary, public-private partnership called ENERGY STAR
that helps businesses quickly reduce their energy use and related
greenhouse gas emissions. By measuring current energy performance,
setting goals, tracking savings and rewarding improvements, the
ENERGY STAR program is an easy way for hoteliers to quickly
implement initiatives that save energy and reduce costs.
6) Recycle – Because less energy is
typically needed to make a product from recycled material,
recycling presents a sure-fire way for organizations to help
conserve energy. From packaging and paper to hard drives and CDs,
hotels can protect their sensitive business information and the
environment by implementing a document management program for
secure mobile or off-site recycling and destruction.
“National Energy Awareness Month is a great time for hoteliers
to re-evaluate the amount of energy they use and identify ways to
reduce it,” said Todd McKeown, Vice President of Global Hospitality
and Gaming for Cintas. “Further, many hoteliers find that by
selecting products and solutions proven to reduce energy
consumption, they can decrease costs while protecting the
environment.”
For more information about Cintas’ green initiatives, visit
www.cintas.com/green.
About Cintas Corporation:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly
specialized services to businesses of all types primarily
throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and
implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides
entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies, tile and carpet
cleaning, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection
products and services and document management services for more
than 900,000 businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded
over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a
component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.
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