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1. Appoint a responsible person and a dedicated team
Energy efficiency and sustainability is a shared responsibility between all those who work in a hospitality
establishment. However, it is most important that one person is given overall responsibility to ensure that all
aspects related to energy efficiency in the business are dealt with satisfactorily and coherently. The responsible
person should coordinate the energy management policy and should supervise a dedicated team in charge
of monitoring energy consumptions, implementing procedures to raise energy efficiency and/or decrease
unnecessary consumption and collect data to evaluate the progresses achieved.
2. Assess your energy profile
The starting point of any energy management policy consists in determining the energy profile of the business.
This requires to monitor energy consumption by tracking energy bills over time. When possible, sub-metering
can help to monitor more precisely which zone or building system use more energy. This assessment will help
assessing the performance of the building/business, of the equipment and systems and allows to create a
baseline against which future objectives to reduce energy consumption and raise energy efficiency will be
assessed. This energy profile helps evaluating what are the best possible technical solutions and the possible
returns on investment.
3. Frame your energy policy
The energy policy is a key document which explains how the relevant issues related to the energy usage of the
business/building will be managed in order to raise energy efficiency and decrease energy consumption.
It shall be a simple document containing the following aspects:
•
Clear and measurable energy performance goals to be achieved;
•
Target dates for achievements of the goals;
•
An action plan with a roadmap for achievements of the goals, including the technical steps to be implemented
and the allocated resources (human, financial);
•
All relevant features should be included: from the daily operational routine to possible future interventions on
building equipment, systems or thermal insulation.
In cases where the action plan contains measures requiring investments, the issue of the funding should be
considered at this stage already. A regular (i.e. annually) update is recommended to take into account recent
achievements, change in energy patterns, and new priorities.
KEY ASPECTS OF A GOOD ENERGY
MANAGEMENT POLICY
However well a building hosting a hospitality business is constructed, a constant commitment is needed to raise
both short and long-term energy efficiency and obtain continuous economic returns. Such efforts can only be
sustained if a hospitality establishment adopts a holistic and systemic energy management policy. This chapter
explains the key aspects which should be part of it.
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Making tourism more resource efficient: guidance and solutions to raise energy efficiency in the european hospitality industry