Sandman Hotel Group

"The energy savings resulting from our lighting upgrades, combined with the environmental benefit and the BC Hydro incentives, make energy savings projects an important investment for our company."

— Tai Kassam, President and COO, Sandman Hotel Group

Efficiency upgrades in 12 hotels save energy, boost image

A dozen of Northland Properties' Sandman Hotel locations got a recent upgrade to energy-efficient lighting and heating products. The savings are equivalent to powering 180 homes each year.

In addition, Northland Properties – owners of Denny's and Moxie's restaurants and 35 Sandman Hotels – will enjoy lower maintenance costs at the retrofitted locations, thanks to the longer life of the energy-efficient technologies.

The challenge: save energy at an affordable cost

Like most hotels, Sandman spends a significant amount on their energy budget, including heating, ventilation and lighting. Site managers at 12 Sandman locations across British Columbia worked with BC Hydro key account managers to identify energy savings projects that could reduce the energy bills with a focus on lighting improvements.

With support and expertise from BC Hydro, Northland Properties decided to forge ahead with a variety of projects under the Power Smart Product Incentive Program (PIP), which provides incentives for the installation of energy-efficient technologies.

The solution: upgrades to energy-efficient lighting and HVAC technologies

After identifying 22 lighting projects at 12 sites that were eligible for PIP incentives, Sandman carried out the following measures:

• Converted 7,344 standard incandescent lamps to compact fluorescents.
• Converted 75 standard incandescent lamps to halogen infrared (HIR) (specialized halogens that redirect the infrared heat that halogens produce, reducing waste heat and electricity).
• Converted 888 T12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts to standard or Energy-Saver T8 lamps and electronic ballasts.
• Converted 455 incandescent exit signs to LED lamps or signs.
• Installed 360 heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) occupancy sensors.

In addition, the Sandman Signature Vancouver Airport Hotel installed HVAC occupancy sensors in guest rooms. This system allows the front desk to control heating and ventilation in the rooms according to guests' check-in and check-out times and to establish maximum and minimum temperature set points.

Northland Properties is so pleased with the retrofit that it is planning more projects, including the continuing renovation of the 438-room Sandman Signature in Richmond and new lighting for the hotel meeting rooms, common areas, the Shark Club restaurant and Chop Restaurant. Northland Properties will also continue a lighting retrofit program at its B.C. Denny's and Moxie's restaurant chains.

The benefits: long-term electricity and maintenance savings

Electricity savings

Thanks to the upgrades, the 12 Sandman sites will save a total of 1.8 gigawatt hours each year or over $90,000 in electricity savings alone. Sandman also received over $67,000 in financial incentives – and the electricity cost savings continue year after year.

Maintenance savings

Sandman will gain significant operational savings – projected at almost $60,000 a year – as the newer lighting technologies have a longer life-cycle than standard lighting and that means less need for maintenance. The new lighting is also cooler than standard incandescent lighting so it will create a more comfortable atmosphere while reducing the need for air conditioning.

Contact us

Find out how Power Smart can energize your bottom line. For more information on how your facility can benefit from the installation of energy-efficient technologies, read about the Product Incentive Program or call 1 866 522 4713.

A closer look

Energy savings opportunities for hotels

For hotel facilities, upgrading to energy-efficient technologies can significantly reduce energy and operating costs – both immediately and for years to come. Under BC Hydro's Power Smart Product Incentive Program, many energy-efficient products qualify for incentives that can lower paybacks and make projects more attractive.

These energy-efficient technologies are ideal for hotel locations and all qualify for Product Incentive Program incentives:

• Compact fluorescent lamps save up to 75% in energy costs over incandescent lamps.
• Energy-saver T8 fluorescent lighting saves 40% to 50% on average in energy costs over T12s.
• LED exit signs are 90% more energy-efficient than incandescent signs and last up to 25 years.
• HVAC occupancy sensors communicate the occupancy of rooms to heating and cooling controls ensuring that heating and cooling systems run only when needed.
• Halogen infrared (HIR) lamps use less electricity to produce the same amount of light as standard halogen lamps and provide natural-looking bright light that is close to daylight.
• Holiday LED strings use 95% less energy and last at least 10 times longer than incandescent lamps.

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