According to Siemens, energy represents the single fastest-growing operating cost in the hospitality industry, accounting for between three and six per cent of total running costs. As a result of rising energy prices and increased awareness on the cost and environmental benefits of energy efficient lighting solutions, many hotels around the world are retrofitting their lighting installations as they strive towards increased sustainability.
When first established, LED lamps did not provide the adequate lighting ambience or reliability to be a popular choice for hotel fit-outs. However, significant technological improvements have meant that hoteliers can now adopt retrofit lighting projects which will result in lower energy consumption and longer life spans converting to significant savings on energy and maintenance bills.
Prolight + Sound Middle East takes a look at some of the energy efficient lighting solutions which are benefitting the bottom line at four of Dubai’s luxurious hotel projects.
1. Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza Hotels, Festival City
Inefficient lighting systems at these Festival City hotels were resulting in high maintenance costs as well as excessive energy and heat generation. Philips Color Kinetics was brought on board to implement a retrofit lighting solution. The hotels’ high energy consuming interior fixtures were replaced with energy efficient lighting solutions such as LED lamps, CFL-I and energy saving halogen lamps across 35,000 existing light points while LED I-Color Accent tubes kitted out the exteriors.
According to Philips Color Kinetics such a retrofit lighting system can save close to two million kg of CO2 emissions annually and has helped to reduce the hotels’ energy bills by 80 per cent.
2. Grosvenor House Dubai
Open since 2005, in 2014 the Grosvenor House Hotel underwent a major retrofit lighting project to help reduce its carbon footprint and introduce an energy efficient lighting solution across the property. By replacing more than 24,500 halogen lamps throughout the property with energy-efficient LED lamps from GE, the hotel has succeeded in making an approximate 80 per cent saving on its lighting energy bills and in just two short years the project has close to paid for itself.
3. Mövenpick Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel
An LED lighting retrofit has been instrumental in the Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta retaining its Green Globe accreditation for four years running. As described in a press release, “as a Green Globe certified hotel it is internationally recognised as a property that constantly introduces initiatives with the aim to reduce and optimise its consumption of resources”. Committed to being a sustainable and socially responsible hotel, the aim is to reduce energy and water consumption by eight per cent annually.
A centralised Room Management System (RMS) controls the air conditioning and lighting in guest rooms, which can be reduced to a minimum when a room is not occupied. The introduction of LED lamps and other light fittings and motion sensors have also added to the property’s energy reduction measures.
4. Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort and Spa
Soffitel Dubai The Palm was the first property on The Palm and Accor’s first property in the world to achieve Green Globe certification. The resort, which opened in 2013, already had many energy-efficient measures incorporated in its initial design and an LED lighting retrofit, which saw 80 per cent of the hotel’s permanent light fixtures replaced with LED lamps, has contributed further, saving 290,000 kilowatts hours of energy in less than four months.
It is true to say that the choice and reliability of energy efficient lighting solutions for the hospitality sector have improved manifold in recent years. Visit Prolight + Sound Middle East and Light Middle East, collocated at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in October to view some of the latest technology and trends shaping this sector.
