Course: BHM

Semester: V
Subject: Accommodation Management
Faculty Name: Ms. Nima Lamu Sherpa
UNIT IV
INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION IN HOUSEKEEPING

WATER CONSERVATION
Setting a water conservation action plan
1. Carry out a water audit to show where the major water costs are and where savings can be
made.
2. Compare total and departmental consumption figures with hotel industry benchmarks to
determine the potential for savings.
3. Calculate water used per guest by dividing the total water consumed in guest rooms by the
number of guests for that month.
4. Establish realistic goals for each department.
5. Communicate management’s objectives and goals to employees.
6. Ensure participation from the entire workforce and invite staff to put forward their ideas.
7. Check regularly for leaks from cisterns, taps and pipes and make sure that plugs in basins fit
properly.
8. Implement a programme that allows guests to opt not to have towels and linens changed
every day.
9. Install sensors, low-flow and other water-saving fittings in kitchens, guest bathrooms and
public washrooms. Take advantage of any financial incentives being offered by local/national
governments to install water-efficient technologies.
10. Divert and capture rainwater (rainwater harvesting) for reuse in the hotel grounds.
11. Establish a monitoring and targeting system and constantly monitor results.
12. Train staff so they understand how to make prudent use of water and how to maintain
equipment for optimum energy-efficiency.
13. Develop standard operating procedures and continue to stimulate motivation by giving
feedback.
14. Join forces with other hotels and provide mentoring to help them reduce their water
consumption.
Staff training
•Ensure staff are trained to look for leaks, that they report them quickly and problems are
responded to swiftly.
•Use a plug and a bucket when cleaning baths and basins rather than letting the taps (faucets)
run.
•Clean the toilet after cleaning the bath and basin so that the water can be used for a final swill
down.
•Involve staff and ask them to suggest water conservation ideas.
Measurement
•Install sub-meters to measure specific users of water, such as guest bathrooms.
•Measure consumption on a monthly basis.
•Set realistic targets.
Maintenance
•Conduct regular inspections of taps, showers, toilet mechanisms, overflows from water storage
and pipe joints for leaks. Check around the grouting on taps and shower fittings for signs of
leaks.
•Check for a leaking toilet. Add food colouring to the cistern to detect leaks ( coloured water will
appear in the bowl if the toilet is leaking).
•Check that plugs are fitted to basins and that they produce an effective seal.
Guest education
•Communicate to guests the importance of local freshwater resources and provide opportunities
to allow guests to use water wisely.
•Encourage guests to shower rather than bath.
•Suggest guests do not leave the tap running when brushing their teeth and they half-fill the
sink.
•Invite them to reuse their towels and linens by opting not to have them changed every day.
Fittings
•Install the latest, most water-efficient fittings. See “Water-saving technologies”.
•Ensure machines are fully loaded before use.
•Wash small quantities in a 5kg machine.
•Ensure that all water inlet valves are closing properly.
•Check for leaking dump valves.
•Minimise the rinse without reducing quality.
•Consider using “intermediate extraction” between rinse operations.
•Consider the reuse of water from previous rinse cycles for the first wash of the next cycle by
installing temporary holding tanks.
•Check that level controls on water reuse tanks are working properly.
•500-room-plus hotels could consider installing a continuous batch washer (CBW), which uses all
the rinse water for pre-washing and main suds operation.
•Ensure that the water flow rates on tunnel washers and CBWs are adjusted to the
manufacturer’s recommended setting.
•When buying washing machines, ensure it has a good water consumption rating.
•Consider using ozone laundry systems. These inject ozone into the water, which works in
conjunction with the laundry chemicals to provide a more efficient wash, reducing energy and
water use through shorter cycles.
•Monitor water use and establish benchmarks.
A towel and linen programme
A towel and linen programme can help you make significant water savings and reduce energy
consumption, detergent and the need for waste water treatment. Thousands of hotels already
offer guests the option to reuse towels and/or bed linen. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
estimates that its towel re-use scheme has saved 199m litres (52.5m US gallons) of water a year
in its 22 US properties alone.
It can also reduce your costs. As well as saving water, it means less wear on fabrics, prolonging
their life, and saves housekeeping staff time.
Ensure there is a towel rail in the bathroom for guests to hang their towels for reuse.
Ensure all staff are aware of the programme and the reasons for it. If a card is included in the
guest bathroom suggesting that the guest uses them again, housekeeping staff must follow the
correct procedure.
The wording on the in-room card should include clear instructions and inspire guests to
conserve resources rather than giving the impression the hotel is simply reducing costs. If you
leave a questionnaire in the room, include a section on your towel and linen policy.
Robert Cialdini, professor of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University and one of the
most quoted social psychologists, carried out research to test which types of signs would most
encourage hotel visitors to reuse their towels. Three cards used a version of the typical
environmental appeal. A fourth card added true information that the majority of guests reused
their towels at least once during their stay. The final message was the most successful,
increasing towel reuse by over 28%. Cialdini concluded that when people are uncertain about a
course of action, they tend to look to those around them to guide their decisions and actions, a
principle he calls “social proof”.
“In most cases, for an organisation to boost effectiveness by 28%, some expensive steps have to
be taken; typically, organisational structure, focus, or personnel must be charged,” explains
Cialdini. “In this instance, however, none of that was necessary. All that was required was to
convey the facts about the preferred behaviour of the majority… What’s most interesting to me
is that the most effective strategy was entirely costless to the hotel. But I’ve never seen it used
by any hotel room in any city.”
Swimming pools
In a large hotel, a swimming pool can increase freshwater consumption by as much as 10% so,
before installing one, consider carefully whether a pool is a necessity for guests, particularly if
water is scarce locally.
•Design the system so that you can capture and reuse backwash water to irrigate the grounds.
•When cleaning the area around the pool, use a brush and pan to collect debris rather than
hosing.
•Cover the pool when not in use to avoid water evaporation.
•Fit water-saving showerheads, dual flush or water-efficient toilet cisterns and push-button taps
in all changing facilities.
•Check the water meter last thing at night and first thing in the morning to detect leaks.
•In coastal areas, a reverse osmosis (RO) plant is an option for converting seawater for use in
pools. However, acids and caustic substances are required to keep these systems clean, creating
a waste stream that must be neutralised before discharged. Care should also be taken with
siting. Most good RO systems incorporate waste neutralisation, making the process simple and
efficient.
Spas
•To detect leaks, check the water meter last thing at night and first thing in the morning and
carry out visual checks.
•Fit water-saving showerheads, dual-flush toilet cisterns and push-button taps in all facilities.
•Opportunities for capturing and rescuing spa pool water are limited due to the concentration of
chlorine or bromine. Expert advice should be sought if you plan to redirect backwash water to
irrigate the grounds or install a grey water recycling system for toilets.
HOUSE KEEPING DEAPRTMENT
The major space in a hotel is devoted to guest rooms and corridors. Number and variety of ways
to conserve energy in these areas are startling. Although the energy conserved in one room or
corridor does not seem significant, but when multiplied by 100 or so rooms, it does become
significant. Some of the opportunities for Housekeeping Department where they can
significantly contribute to energy saving listed below:-
•Turn off guest room lights when rooms are not physically occupied.
•Use minimum lighting when making up and cleaning rooms. Use natural light whenever
possible.
•Turn off corridor lights, or reduce it to 50% when natural light is available.
•Turn off lights in linen rooms, storage room and maids closets when not in use.
•Check your areas for light level. Reduce number of lights if possible. Use lower wattage bulbs
wherever possible.
•Have lamp shades cleaned at once. Bulb gives more light with clean lampshades.
•Keep walls and ceiling walls cleaned for better light reflection.
•Switch off music & TV Sets when rooms are not physically occupied.
•Turn off HVAC system when rooms are not physically occupied.
•Report water leaks immediately
•Keep windows closed and curtain on. The ingress of hot air in summer and cold air during
winter contribute to very large waste or energy. For example 6’ wide window opened just one
inch would allow hot air necessitating 1.76 kwh to cool. This in terms of monetary value, will
cost approx. Rs. 1150/- per hour.
•Keep room hot water temperature at lowest acceptable limit.
•Minimize use of lights during night cleaning by switching on only those lights which are actually
required to clean a particular area.
•Bellhops may be advised to leave only such lights on which are actually needed by the guest
while leaving the room.

LAUNDRY DEPARTMENT
One of the large consumers of water and heat, the hotel laundry is an outlet that can
significantly reduce energy consumption with no effect on guest comfort or satisfaction. Some of
the important points to achieve desired results are listed below:-
•Have lights turned off when not in use.
•Periodically clean lamps and lights fixtures.
•Clean and wash walls, floors and ceiling
•Operate washing machines at full load, partial loads may require same amount water as full
loads.
•Check and record your water consumption. Compare water consumption daily to find wastages,
if any.
•Do not leave water taps running.
•Consider using cold water detergents. It will greatly reduce energy consumption.
•Reduce hot water temperature to 120 o F.
•Repair or replace all hot water piping insulation.
•All steam line values should be checked for leaks. That is, you should be able to shut off steam
to any machine not in use keeping steam supply main open.
•If possible use final rinse water for 1st wash.
•Reduce time between loads to prevent tumblers from cooling down.
•Air line should be checked for leaks.
•Periodically clean exhaust duct and blower of lint and dust.
•Keep steam pressure at lowest possible level.
•Shut off steam valve whenever machine is not being utilised.
•Keep radiator coils and fins free from dirt all the times.
•Ensure all steam traps in perfect working order.
•Keep an eye on the preventive maintenance schedule of all laundry equipments by Engineering
Department to ensure timely compliance.
•Ensure that Drying tumblers and washing machines are kept clean and free from scale at all
times.
•Switch off laundry exhaust fans when laundry is closed.
•Ensure that extractors are working properly. Incomplete extraction increased load on dryer and
consumes more energy for drying.
•Reschedule machine operation to reduce peak demand charges.
•Inform boiler room when steam is not required so that boilers can be shut down to save fuel.