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Comfort Inn Boston/Logan Installs Chemical-Free Electronic Water Treatment System for Cooling Towers & Heat Exchanger 
The Comfort Inn & Suites Boston/Logan International Airport has installed a FlowMark "chemical-free" (also called "pulsed-power") water treatment system for its cooling tower and heat exchanger. The FlowMark system, installed by Conservation Solutions Corporation (CSC), has sharply cut water use and eliminated the need for hazardous chemicals to control calcium, bacteria, scale, corrosion and biofilm.
"Chemical-free" water treatment systems are used to treat cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers and evaporative condensers. They replace chemicals with an electronic field. This website describes how they work. "Chemical-free" systems have the best payback for hotels with cooling towers and chillers.
The Comfort Inn's new system cost $6,300 to install and saves the hotel roughly $5,685 per year.
Financial Summary
Annual Water & Sewer Savings $2,724
Annual Chemical Savings 2,400
Annual Electricity Savings 366
Annual Maintenance Contract Savings 195
Total Savings: $5,685
Simple Payback: 1.1 years
Return on Investment (ROI): 89.8%
"Chemical-free" water treatment systems have been deployed for over a decade by Coca Cola, Raytheon, Dunkin Brands and other companies. Several Florida hotels use them.
"Chemical-free" systems are healthier and less risky than their chemical system counterparts. "Chemical-free" blowdown water is clean enough to be used for irrigation, fountains and, in some cases, to re-charge groundwater.
By contrast, chemical system blow-down water contains hazardous biocides - chlorine, bromine and isothiazolene. It also has corrosion inhibitors, such as molybdenate, which is under a voluntary ban in Boston. These chemicals are unhealthy for the staff who handle them and the environment.
Several chemical-free water treatment systems are on the market. The FlowMark System is distinguished by its low entry cost, because it simply wraps around existing pipes.
Scot Hopps, Director of Sustainability for Saunders Hotel Group (SHG) and interim GM for the Comfort Inn & Suites said, "We installed the FlowMark System to reduce the environmental impact of our hotels. The opportunity to eliminate hazardous chemicals and save water and energy was an excellent combination. Installing the FlowMark System was an easy decision, and we've been extremely happy with the condition of our cooling tower since it was installed."
Onsite Battery Storage is Closer to Reality for Massachusetts Hotels
This summer, Tesla will start producing an on-site battery storage system that will enable businesses to store electricity at night and automatically release it during periods of peak demand. This technology will reduce demand charges--and cut hotel electricity bills. It will also provide backup power during outages.
Currently, battery storage for hotels is mostly deployed in California, Hawaii and New York, where it is incentivized.
Two factors will determine how quickly battery storage will catch on in Massachusetts: its price and whether the state will introduce an incentive. I'll keep you posted.
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