Hosts: Tony Beatrice, Barry Anderson and Jonathan Crellin
Present: Tony Beatrice, Marc Cohn, Al Vaughn, Rebecca Lee, Samantha Sorrin, Tedd Saunders, Fabienne Eliacin, Alex Alexandrovich, Karen Weber Robert Josie, Rachael Moreland, David Rando, Melissa Stevens, Katelyn Andrews, Camron Ritzenthaler, Naz Senaldi, Hugh Leahy, David Gershaw, Fredi Shonkoff, Thomas Bennard, Dan Ruben. I missed one or two people.
Lighting controls amplify the energy savings that come from LED conversions. It's best to install controls in concert with LED projects. However, controls reduce energy use whenever they're added.
Integrated controls can be mounted on each fixture; used with any combination of stand-alone controls; networked; and controlled remotely.
Controls save the most energy in these areas: stairwells, parking garages, storage rooms, locker rooms, back of house and exterior lighting. They generate strong savings in other areas, too.
Mr. Leahy described five Boston hotel lighting control projects.
Fabienne Eliacin, Environment Services Coordinator, InterContinental Boston
InterContinental Boston donates their used goods to benefit the needy and reduce their waste stream.
They work with Global Soap Project, Rosie's Place, Daily Table, Boston Mothers Care, Little Sisters of the Poor, Eco-Building Bargains, Epilepsy Foundation, Goodwill, Commonwealth Land Trust, Our Children, Our Future, Inc in Brockton, Rise for Haitian Children and Sant Belvi Adult Daycare in Mattapan.
Ms. Eliacin said that to achieve a great donation program, hoteliers must address several challenges: finding a holding area for the goods; some facets of the program add costs (while others reduce them); some projects require extra labor, especially by housekeeping and kitchen staff; and staff concerns with the program must be answered.
InterContinental Boston's donation program benefits the hotel by helping it achieve its mission to be socially and environmentally responsible, scoring better on the parent company's green goals and green certification programs, reducing hauling costs, bolstering its image, satisfying staff and reducing its tax burden.
Daily Table is a non-profit organization that owns a Dorchester grocery store. The store sells nutritious food at deeply discounted prices, and it employs local residents. It collects surplus food from growers, manufacturers, distributors and institutions like hotels--preventing it from going to waste.
Ms. Shonkoff described how to donate food to Daily Table. The presentation lists the food that they do and don't take.
Good Samaritan laws protect food donors from liability.
Daily Table will soon open more stores in underserved areas of Boston and the U.S.
Thomas Bennard, Territory Sales Manager, ITW Food Equipment
Mr. Bennard showed us how newer dishwashers cut energy and water use by more than half, improve dishroom comfort and reduce HVAC use in the kitchen. The machines use a heat transfer process that precludes the need for hot water on the final rinse. Some machines are ventless.
It often makes financial sense to replace dishwashers over twelve years old, regardless of their condition.
IDEAS
Walk-in Coolers and Freezers: How to Save Energy
Walk-in refrigerators and freezers are energy intensive. The following strategies help businesses cut the amount of energy consumed by these machines:
Refrigeration Control Systems cut energy use, meet temperature requirements and reduce food spoilage by using the equipment components intelligently. For example, they assure that evaporator fans run only when necessary. Also, they defrost refrigerators on an as-needed basis--not on a set schedule.
Refrigeration control systems enable users to monitor their refrigeration units remotely, diagnose problems, get alarms over the internet when problems arise and access performance reports.
Use free outside air in the winter. NRM and Freeaire are two companies that offer such systems.
EC Motors and Variable Frequency Drives: Replace conventional evaporator fan motors with more efficient electronically commutated motors, and add vfd's.
Maintain and repair: Keep coils clean and dust-free. Maintain tight gaskets and well-functioning auto-closers to keep out warm, humid air. De-scale ice machines twice per year.
Control lights with motion sensors so that lights are on only when they're needed.
Replace Your Refrigerators: Energy efficiency standards have improved and will continue to improve. New standards will take effect in 2017 that require 30% greater energy efficiency. Look for the Energy Star label.
Feed the Bees this Fall
If you have beehives on the property, note this message from the MA Department of Agricultural Resources.
"Check hives weekly and feed bees larger quantities and more frequently this season than in years past. As a result of drought conditions, poor bloom is expected to provide a dearth of nectar for foraging bees resulting in minimal honey flow.
Supplement hives, as needed, with sugar syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) and/or pollen patties to ensure that bees will have enough winter feed."
OPPORTUNITIES
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Laundries have become remarkably more energy and water efficient--just like commercial dishwashers and refrigerators. This article describes Ecolab'sAquanomic Laundry Program and the TideProfessional Coldwater Laundry System.
