How can you reduce your hotel energy bills?

The first step to take when you’re looking to reduce your hotel’s energy bills is to complete a full audit. You’ll need to have an in depth look at every aspect of your energy and water consumption. From this, you’ll be able to identify any areas where you can reduce your energy consumption and bills. Inspect all your equipment, lighting and plumbing to look for any areas where you might be using more energy and water than necessary. Once you’ve completed your audit, you’ll be able to get the full picture of your hotel’s usage and look to make changes from there.

The lighting in your hotel can have a huge impact on your energy consumption and bills. Could you switch to motion sensor lights in any of your corridors or reception area? This is an easy way to make sure that you’re only using energy when it’s necessary. Can you make sure that lights in rooms are only activated when the key card is inserted? This stops any guests leaving them on while they go on their adventures.

Could you switch to LED lighting too? LED bulbs can save up to 90% less energy than your standard bulbs. On average, switching to an LED bulb from a 100-watt incandescent bulb can save up to £15 per bulb per year. If your hotel has 100 rooms, each with 2 bulbs, you could be saving up to £3,000 a year. It might be a big task in a hotel with hundreds of rooms, however it could cut down your energy bill.

Does your hotel have a Smart Meter? If not, you’re not going to have an accurate idea of your consumption. And without this, it’s going to be hard to know if the changes you’re implementing are actually making a difference. If you can see exactly how much energy your hotel is using, you can look for any trends or patterns that could explain any high bills. Are you having spikes when all your equipment is supposed to be switched off? You could need some extra maintenance on your equipment. It’s possible to get a clearer look at your energy usage with a smart meter.

Heating for the many different rooms your hotel has can make up a large portion of your energy bills. Making sure that you’re only heating occupied rooms is an easy way to cut down on your hotel’s consumption. Does your hotel have a restaurant too? There are easy ways to cut down on your consumption there. Consider switching to a lower water consuming pot wash and check for any leaky taps. Heating up the water for these can use up quite a lot of energy so making adjustments in these areas can drastically cut your energy bills down.

It’s crucial that you get your staff members onboard with your aims to cut down on energy bills. You could deliver training on how to spot damaged insulation or plumbing that needs repairing. If you haven’t made the switch to motion sensor lighting, make sure they know to turn off any lights or equipment when they finish their shift. You could even get your guests involved too. Can you add any signs near light switches to remind them to turn off any lights or plug sockets before they leave their room? They may sound like small things, but they can make a huge difference to your hotel’s overall energy bills.