Two apparently painless measures are reducing energy expenditures at The Balsams, a NH resort, but much of the decision-making in this regard is up to guests.
About three years ago, personnel swapped out all or most of the standard incandescent bulbs that used to fill the hotel at this New England vacation spot. Facility manager Scott Leigh says the old bulbs ate up 60 watts each, while the new ones provide similar light at just 13 watts. With an average savings of 47 watts per bulb and 200 watts per room, Leigh says the resort is saving thousands of kilowatt hours on the rooms, thousands more when you factor in the public areas.
“That’s a substantial savings,” he says. “We are really trying to conserve.”
There is also a protocol in place to let guests opt in or out of laundry as they see fit, without much thought or effort. Cards in the rooms let guests designate which linens and towels they want washed, avoiding the wastage of automatically washing everything.
Over the years, the NH resort has made environmentally-minded changes to its on-site power generation as well, with its own hydro plant and a biomass facility. Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at their independent power infrastructure.
David Ridley
The Balsams Blogging Team
Photo: Lisadileo, license ccasa3.0u
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