Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Star Hotels

Increasing urbanization, with the resultant demand for hotel and commercial buildings, will put more pressure on energy demand and elevate energy costs. Electricity, which has the highest growth rate of all forms of energy used in the country, is in chronic short supply in many parts of the country. In view of the global energy crisis and increasing energy demand in various sectors, the present shortage of energy is expected to continue and apart from possible end-use restrictions, energy efficiency and energy management are essentially required. The shortage of peak demand capacity is particularly acute. Huge investments are required to provide fresh generation capacity. The problems of environmental degradation and pollution will compound the situation further. The consumption of energy in the building sector extends over services like lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation for thermo-visual comfort. The electricity consumption in the commercial and domestic sectors currently accounts for approximately 23% and is expected to grow at more than 10% a year. The exponential increase in the costs of different forms of energy has led to the grOWing importance of energy conservation as a means of cutting energy costs in buildings. Studies have revealed that incorporation of energy-efficiency concepts reduces energy use in new establishments by 30% to 40% of those in conventional buildings, and in existing buildings by 10% to 15% by suitable retrofit applications. However, lack of awareness and non-availability of appropriate tools for decision-making discourage many from adopting energy-efficiency concepts in their buildings. Energy conservation, which leads to more efficient use of energy without reducing comfort levels, does not mean rationalizing or curtailment or load shedding, but it is a means of identifying areas of wasteful use of energy and taking action to reduce the energy waste. The star hotels that have existing are built over a period of time and 60% to 70% of the existing business and luxury class hotels have been built 20 to 30 years back. Due to the technological advancement occurred over a period of time, there is ample scope for improvement in energy efficiency. The business and luxury class hotels are highly energy intensive. The major energy usage is in the air conditioning system which contributes to around 50% to 60% of the total energy consumption followed by lighting which constitutes around 15% to 20% of the total energy consumption. This article provides some set of guidelines and solutions for energy efficiency improvements in star hotels.