By 2023, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) predicts that commercial building owners will have invested an estimated $960 billion globally on greening their existing buildings. No exception to this trend, the hospitality industry has embraced sustainable retrofitting to achieve energy savings and improved guest experiences. As more hotels seek this type of renovation, here are a few recommendations engineers might offer:
Understand the Building Structure:
A building audit should be the first step in retrofitting a hotel. According to a panel hosted by Urban Land, it’s important to evaluate a building as a whole. This includes knowing the regulations in place at its initial development and evaluating current factors such as insulation effectiveness and natural light patterns.
Select Energy-Efficient and Flexible Systems:
Traditional HVAC and lighting systems should be replaced with flexible and unobtrusive systems that meet green certification requirements, such as LEED®. This allows for a contemporary aesthetic, maximizes space that can be used to expand a lobby or guest amenities and provides energy savings.
Install Smart Controls:
After a building is sustainably retrofitted, the real savings come from proper system control. Smart controls allow mechanical systems to have set run times and utilize data to optimize guest comfort and energy efficiency.
The post The Basics of Green Retrofitting Hotels appeared first on Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating Blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment