Service & Product Provider Partner
Customer
HEI Hospitality LLC
101 Merritt 7, Norwalk, CT 06851
Think Energy Management, LLC
2925 Circle Drive, Silver Lake, OH 44224-3045
Business: Energy Consultant
Richard G. Lubinski, President
Business: Hotel owner/management
Bob Holesko, Vice President - Facilities
Phone: 203-849-2253 / Fax: 203-849-5918
Email: Holesko@heihospitality.com
Phone: 330-283-4604 / Fax: 330-928-0417
Email: Rick@think-energy.net
Energy efficiency lighting reduces utility bills by over $1 million / year for hotel owner.
Project Scope
Think Energy Management, LLC was hired by HEI Hospitality to develop an enterprise-wide energy
management program to reduce its $15 million annual utility costs. Investment grade lighting audits
provided the financial data for senior management to understand and elevate its energy management
opportunities.
Project Summary
The starting point was organizing HEI's annual utility cost spending, benchmarking its utility costs and
establishing priorities. The resulting lighting retrofit projects upgraded existing lighting, reduced utility
costs, reduced maintenance costs and provided a fantastic return on investment. ENERGY STAR award
winner, General Electric, and other national lighting contractors implemented the lighting projects. Think
Energy and HEI took advantage of the energy efficiency tools from ENERGY STAR and demand-side
management (DSM) rebate programs to further maximize the project's energy savings.
•	Energy Savings
Annual energy savings of 18,000,000 kWh or 115kBtu/ft2, equivalent to $1,089,500, were achieved.
•	Investment
HEI Hospitality invested $2,300,000 and has minimum recurring costs (replacement lamps).
•	Financial Return
Simple payback was achieved in less than 2.5 years. A 40% ROI and positive net present value (NPV)
contributed to improved shareholder value. Improved cash flow from lower utility costs also increased the
hotels' asset values.
•	Other Benefits
The installation of new long life lamps and ballasts reduced maintenance costs. Hotel guest satisfaction
improved due to better lighting and fewer burned out lamps. Over the project's 20 year lifetime, it should
save 360 million kWh and eliminate 257,400 tons of C02 pollution.
Monitoring & Verifying Energy Savings
Think Energy provided detailed spreadsheets for each hotel to track the kWh and kW savings for each
electricity meter each month, and a utility energy database was created to track electricity, natural gas,
other fuels and water/sewer accounts. The Measurement & Verification (M&V) service provided was
equal to an energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) project following national and international
M&V protocols.
Distinguishing Value
The lighting retrofits are only one part of an aggressive enterprise-wide energy management program
designed to actively manage HEI annual energy expenses. Properties are identified for demand-side
energy management projects through active benchmarking of utility costs. The energy database is
scheduled to be electronically linked to the ENERGY STAR benchmarking tool to streamline
benchmarking activities and identify facilities that qualify for ENERGY STAR building status. In addition,
a best practice has been established such that future lighting, HVAC and application purchases will all
have the ENERGY STAR label.
*»EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

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