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UNIT 4: ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
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Environment Status Review on Energy
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ENERGY FACTSHEET
• Energy accounts for the largest share of operating costs in tourism facilities.
• Energy is used for lighting, heating and cooling, ventilation, and powering
appliances.
• Most tourism businesses draw their electric energy from the national grid, whose
power is generated from various sources: fossil fuels such as fuel oil and coal,
hydropower, nuclear power, natural gas; and renewable sources such as solar, wind,
bio-fuels and geothermal energy.
• Apart from grid electricity, hospitality businesses use a range of other fuel and energy
sources for water and space heating and cooking. These include fuel oil, natural gas
or propane, solar and wind power, bio-fuels and geothermal energy.
• What area of a hospitality business is the most energy-intensive? The answer
depends on building configurations, climate conditions, heating and cooling
requirements, levels of occupancy and activity, the energy sources used, and the
energy-efficiency of appliances.
• While some activities may require high amounts of energy, associated costs may
be relatively low. Apart from pricing distortions, this could be due to the high
energy-efficiency of equipment or the high calorific value of the fuel used. The UK
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Region’s Energy Efficiency Best
Practice Programme, provided the following estimates on energy intensity and costs
based on energy consumption data from hospitality facilities in the UK:
Estimates of energy intensity and costs in the UK
% OF TOTAL ENERGY VOLUME % OF TOTAL ENERGY COSTS
Space heating/cooling 48% 29%
Kitchen and F&B outlets 15% 15%
Water Heating 20% 12%
Lighting 9% 11%
Others 8% 23%
• Energy management considerations differ in hot and cold climates. In hot climates
air-conditioning is used to reduce temperatures and humidity, while in cold climates,
heating systems are required to increase temperature and control ventilation and
humidity.
• Degree-day thresholds provide guidance to property managers on heating and
cooling levels. They differ from country to country. Comparing outside temperatures
with the degree-day threshold will indicate the levels to which buildings have to be
heated or cooled. Degree-day thresholds are published ahead of time in energy and
property management literature.
• When carrying out energy audits it may be necessary to convert quantities of fuel
into units of energy. The ‘input values’ for energy conversion of commonly used fuels
are given in the table below. ‘Input value’ means the energy being converted in the
power/heat generation process. These input values must therefore be multiplied by
the energy efficiency of the appliance to obtain the actual output of energy. Accurate
data of the exact calorific values of fuels and the efficiency of equipment can be
obtained from suppliers.