June 24, 2016


Dear Boston Green Tourism Members,


Our next meeting will be Thursday June 30, from 2:30 to 4:10  at The Langham, Boston, in the Wyeth Room, floor 2.
   
I thank our hosts: Fred Mahoney and Ron Pellerine.
 
I hope you can come!
 
Dan 
 
 
SPEAKERS


Fred Mahoney, Director of Engineering, The Langham Boston


Mr. Mahoney will discuss The Langham's new plate and frame heat exchange system, their free-cooling heat exchanger, their laundry water conservation project and other green initiatives--both implemented and planned. 




Kevin DebasitisDirector of Sales - Northeast US, BuildingIQ  


Mr. Debasitis will describe BuildingIQ's energy management system that uses HVAC optimization technology to automatically reduce energy use, improve building comfort and reduce demand charges associated with hotel common areas: hallways, lobbies, conference rooms, pools, etc.  


The technology easily integrates and communicates with existing BACnet-enabled building management systems. BuildingIQ monitors its customers' buildings to identify problems and potential solutions, and it provides real-time operating data. 




Matthew Goodwin, President, Ver-Tex
William HurwitzDirector, Lighting Controls Group, Yusen Associates
Suzanne Petri, Shading Specialist, Lighting Controls Group, Yusen Associates



The speakers will discuss how  lighting controls and window treatment controls can combine to  save energy. Together, they dim lights and adjust window treatments to reduce solar heat gain and glare in all hotel spaces: guestrooms, lobbies, function spaces, etc. 
 
These systems easily integrate into Building Management Systems.






Megan Ramey, FounderBikabout



Bikabout.com inspires sightseeing by bike in North America's best biking cities with a directory of 170+ bike-friendly lodgings. It also curates cultural bike maps for hotel guests.



Learn about the 10 cheap and easy ways that hotels market themselves as bike-friendly and offer unparalleled city experiences.



The speakers will also cover City of Boston initiatives that make bicycling safer and more appealing.




 
NEWS


 
Judith Judson, Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources spoke at last week's NEECE conference. She told the audience that reducing daily peaks in electricity demand is one of her department's top priorities, because it will make the electricity grid more efficient--and it will moderate electricity bills.
 
Commissioner Judson noted that the top 1% of hours in the year accounts for 8% of the state's electricity spending, and the top 10% of hours accounts for 40% of MA electricity expenditures.
 
She pointed to energy storage as a "game changer" for meeting peak demand in business and for the electricity grid.  Businesses can, "use energy generated during low cost off-peak periods to serve load during expensive peak."
 
The price of battery storage has declined sharply in recent years, and according to the Commissioner, it will drop in half again by 2019. Hence, energy storage deployment has grown rapidly--and is projected to grow 500% in the next five years.
 
The MA legislature is considering legislation that will incentive businesses to use energy storage, as California does. In addition, the DOER will soon announce demonstration project grants for peak demand reduction, including storage.
 
Between dropping prices and financial incentives, it's clear that energy storage will soon become an attractive proposition for MA hotels. 
 
(There are several other strategies for reducing a building's peak demand besides batteries. Commissioner Judson recognized the BuildingIQ product, which uses predictive software, often used in concert with batteries. A BuildingIQ speaker will make a presentation at our June 30 meeting.)




Climate Ready Boston released its Climate Projections Consensus Report, which was written by state-wide climate scientists. It explains the impacts projected for Boston through 2100: extreme temperatures, sea level rise, extreme precipitation and coastal storms. The website has both a summary slide-show and the complete document. 


The group's next report, An Integrated Vulnerability Assessment, will have more specific information for Boston businesses and residents. It will delineate the neighborhoods, properties and infrastructure that are most at risk, and projections for when each will become vulnerable. This report will be released in the coming months. 






IDEAS


Presentations Available from 2016 New England Energy Efficiency Conference & Expo
You can find presentations from last week's conference here
 
I recommend this presentation in particular--Energy Savings in Action, A Walking Case Study: Sheraton Hotel, by Jeff Hanulec (Sheraton Boston) and Greg Senosk (Eversource).




 
OPPORTUNITIES
The Green Lodging Survey is, "the lodging industry's annual exercise to assess and catalyze green innovation, best practices, and awareness regarding the state of sustainability across hotels worldwide." You can participate for free by going here


The survey consists of about 100 easy-to-complete questions. After the survey is complete, a Trends Report will be produced. It will analyze the results and highlight the exemplary practices and innovations that stand out, and serve, "as a guidepost for the industry and especially the survey participants."



Each participants will also receive a confidential report that will, "serve as a yardstick for a property to understand the status of each specific practice within the general participant universe."



I encourage you to take the survey.
ARTICLES


Reduce Waste in Your Restaurant: Filter Cooking Oil
  

Chris Keotke, Kendall College for the National Restaurant Association Website



This 95-second video explains that restaurants that filter and reuse their cooking oil save 50% on oil purchases and reduce their waste-stream. Restaurants can filter their oil themselves or hire a filtering service. 



When oil cannot be reused, it can be recycled into biodiesel or other products. 



Filta performs these services for several Boston hotels. A Filta representative will speak at one of our upcoming meetings. 
 
 
2016 MEETINGS


The following meeting will be 2:30 to 4:00.


June 30

The Langham, Boston



September 8

Boston Park Plaza Hotel

October 13





December 1 

Seaport Hotel



See you June 30 at The Langham, Boston!
Boston Green Tourism

Phone |Email | Website



Boston Green Tourism | 175 Auburn Street | Newton | MA | 02466