Electrification in Hotels

In Mid October, InSite’s Kylie Ford, Director of ESG & Sustainability spoke at an AHLA Sustainability Committee meeting moderated by Townsend Bailey (IHG), with co-panelists Martin Howell (Associate Principal, Energy & Sustainability, Arup) and Russell Taylor (Ph.D., Systems Engineer, Carrier).

In an effort to continually move towards environmental stewardship with measurable business impacts, AHLA Sustainability Committee meetings generally address the hotel and hospitality industry’s current sustainability landscape. The buzzing topic this Fall: electrification in hotels. Key points of this panel were:

• Opportunities – where should hotels focus regarding transition, best practices, and impact (short and long-term).
• Challenges – ways to address differences in cost (electricity v. natural gas) and how to determine the offset differential.
• Strategies with hoteliers and designers.

The panel discussion featuring Ms. Ford took shape around the growing trends, benefits, and impacts of electrification. Specifically, she noted:

• • Everything is trending towards increased electrification, including electrification in hotels.
    • Though there’s grid concerns, less efficacy in colder climates, this is critical for long-term decarbonization. Newer technologies in both energy storage and electrical systems in general are continuing to evolve and ease this transition.
      • Electrification can help you stay ahead of regulatory risk. These newer emissions-focused laws are going to be a bit at the mercy of how fast the grid itself greens. If utility companies are missing major targets and location-based electricity emissions remain higher than expected, the odds of penalties being very stringent lessen, because more scrutiny and action would fall on those utility companies.
        • Basically a way to allow you to “drive with the speed of traffic” as far as decarbonization is concerned”
      • Electrification eases transitions to on and off-site renewables with systems
      • Laws targeting appliance floors themselves, as well as the dwindling rebates for natural gas-based equipment is pushing the market towards electrification further
      • Though right now, particularly in colder climates, electrical heating systems are not more cost effective, as new buildings continue to be required to have increased (or total) electrification, and as other existing buildings move off the natural gas grid, gas prices are anticipated to rise because the supporting infrastructure will become more difficult to maintain
      • Electrification in hotels does not have to be all or nothing. Start with smaller systems like water heaters, or focus on regional areas where kWh are cheaper, rebate opportunities are better, and winters are milder

There were other topics broached at the meeting, however, the take aways regarding electrification in the hotel & hospitality industry were a timely, relevant, and peak-topic of interest. InSite provides support for

There were other topics broached at the meeting, however, the take aways regarding electrification in the hotel & hospitality industry were a timely, relevant, and peak-topic of interest. InSite provides support for

• • • Electrification project identification & prioritization

• • • Electrification project support
    • Local and utility funded rebates and rebate program services
    • Commodity shift analysis
    • Project M&V
    • Compliance/Code alignment and measurement
      • Full BPS management
      • ECMs translated to CO2e reductions/projections