| Several areas of the property will be presented as examples to be implemented by your staff
considering the specific installations and special needs of your property and its service function
to your guests and clients.
MEETING AND FUNCTION ROOMS.
Are lights turned off in rooms not in use?
Have you designated an individual to be responsible for lighting and ventilating for
meeting and function rooms?:
Do you have exact identity of what is controlled by each light switch in an electric panel
box or wall switch? (OSHA requires that for the electrical panels. It also requires the
electric panel box be locked when not in use)..
Do you require night cleaners to turn lights on only in the area where they are working?
Do they turn the lights off when the room has been serviced?
If it will not affect temperature control, do you have cleaning staff open draperies and
raise shades so natural light can be used for cleaning a room following a function? Do
you have standard lighting plans for meeting and convention facilities?
Have you replaced lamps with lamps of smaller size and have you removed excess
lamps?
Do you keep walls, ceilings, and floors clean enough to reflect light better so less
artificial light is needed; use paint that reflects light.
Have you evaluated the new generation of lighting and introduced use of the new units to
maximize the efficiency of lighting with a reduction in costs?
Have you scheduled regular cleaning of light fixtures and lamps?
CHECK ENERGY USAGE IN THE KITCHEN
Kitchens represent 10 to 15 percent of total property energy usage. 60 to 70 percent of that
energy is used for appliances and cooking. The following tips can assist you in achieving greater
energy savings in your kitchen's food preparation.
Is cooking equipment turned on only as needed? Do not preheat more than 30 minutes.
Do you schedule baking or roasting so that oven capacity can be fully utilized, thereby
reducing operating hours? Maintain a 2-inch clearance in standard ovens for good air
circulation. Less clearance is required in forced air circulation ovens.
Is frozen food thawed in the refrigerator? Food will thaw while reducing the energy
demand of the refrigerator.
Have timers been installed for kitchen equipment to automatically control cooking time?
(Every second an oven door is open, the temperature will drop by 1 degree F.)
Have you insulated fry kettles? Military facilities have cut cooking time by 25 percent by
an application of external insulation.
Are all pots and pans at least 1-inch larger than the burner so you are not cooking air
around the base of the pot or pan?
Do you stagger start-up times for food preparation equipment to reduce high peak
demand charges on the electric bill?
Is hot water running in sinks without any purpose?
Does staff pre-plan recipe completion so as to reduce the number of times for entering
walk-in, or reaching in reach-in refrigerators?
LAUNDRY
Are staff instructed to never overload the dryer? Air can't circulate as well and more
energy is required to completely dry the load in an overloaded dryer. A fire prevention
tip: Do not remove items until the drying and cooling cycles are complete. Removal of
materials that retain heated moisture can be the source of spontaneous combustion when
placed in temporary storage in canvas or plastic wheeled equipment.
Does staff separate heavy and light fabrics when drying so the drying demand is focused
on the type of fabric in the dryer?
Are laundry workers instructed to never add wet items to an almost dry load? It is a
waste of energy. Dry back-to-back loads instead to take advantage of the dryer's heat.
However, for efficiency of heat flow and for fire prevention, clean lint from screens
between loads.
VENTILATION
Not only in ventilation but in all systems requiring calibration, is there a regular
maintenance program for maintaining accurate readings? For ventilation purposes are
thermometers and thermostats accurately calibrated to measure the temperature of in-take
air and the room demand for certain levels of heating or cooling? Variations in the
outside temperature throughout the year can increase energy costs if those temperatures
are not monitored, controlled and integrated with inside air needs and demands.
Have you considered installation of a controlled temperature band in the thermostat?
Such an installation could limit delivery of cool air to 70 degrees F.; and warmed air to a
maximum of 78 degrees F.; or other limits set by you.
In your duct delivery system are you sure there is no insulation on the inside of the ducts?
Such insulation creates a major indoor air quality problem as it traps grease and dirt and
can sharply reduce air flow with resultant energy demand.
HEATING OF WATER
Do you have a strict policy on heating of water? The practice of delivering 140 degrees
to 145 degrees F water at the faucet is a three-pronged threat: (1.) It needlessly uses
energy in the heating process. (2). It increases water consumption as the user for normal
sanitary washing needs must add cold water to make it possible to use the water. (3) It
invites litigation related to scalds. A "rule of thumb" is to preferably deliver water at the
faucet at 110 degrees F. The cost of a booster on lines requiring higher temperatures,
such as for a dishwasher, will be quickly recovered through savings on the initial heating
of the water.
TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING
Remember the old spring clean-up slogans? Clean-up! Paint-up! Fix-up!
Clean up is an important element in any effective energy management program. Be sure
all equipment and systems are clean, both inside and out. When replacing motors, check
efficiency ratings and whether the motor is sealed. The problems of lubrication are
resolved, as is the clean-up relating to spilled oil and resultant grease and grime
Paint-up should be after the removal of rust, flaked paint, dirt and grime. Don't just paint
over as the heat of summer will quickly undo the spring paint-up job.
.Fix-up deals with repairs to a large extent; but also serves as a reminder to implement a
preventive maintenance program.
A FEW FINAL WORDS!
These materials have been excerpted from the archives at www.losspreventionbulletin.com. Go
to that source and enter energy management into the search engine. There are numerous
suggestions that can be integrated into an effective program at your property. The articles can be
integrated into a check list or other device, including bulletins or inserts to your employee
publications as there is no copyright on the materials. Acknowledgement of the source would be
appreciated.
Finally, it is hoped the above approach to a department-by-department review can be
implemented at your property and an Energy Action Group or similar organization can
substantially contribute to savings during the current downturn. |
Article
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