hawaii
Credit: Hawaii Energy

Hawaii Energy’s largest incentive for a hotel to date has been awarded to Hawaii’s largest hotel – the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.

Hawaii Energy, the ratepayer-funded energy conservation and efficiency program for Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, presented a $471,192 incentive check to the Hilton after the completion of phase I of a multi-phase, multi-million dollar energy efficiency upgrade project.  Phase I included a major lighting retrofit in 1,839 guest rooms and the installation of energy-saving fan coil motors in all 2,860 guest rooms.

The incentive will help Hilton offset its phase I project costs of more than $1.91 million.  Hawaii Energy’s incentive covered 24 percent of these costs.

These energy efficiency upgrades are estimated to save 2.8 million kilowatt hours (kWh) annually – equivalent to $710,360 in energy costs based on $0.2837/kWh.  The simple payback period is just two years.

“We applaud the Hilton Hawaiian Village for embracing energy efficiency and leveraging the program’s incentives to maximize their investment,” said Ray Starling, Program Director, Hawaii Energy.  “The visitor industry has been tremendous when it comes to saving energy and reducing its carbon footprint, which in the long run contributes to breaking Hawaii’s dependence on imported oil.”

The lighting retrofit involved replacing old lights such as halogens, incandescent bulbs and T12 fluorescent lights with 14,843 light emitting diode lamps (LEDs), as well as retrofitting 3,088 lower wattage T8 fluorescent lights with high performance ballasts.

The new lights were installed by Energy Industries in the Hilton’s Aliʻi Tower, Diamond Head Tower, Kālia Tower and Rainbow Tower as well as the Coral Ballrooms.

“We’re privileged to live, work and welcome visitors to our beautiful island home and with that privilege, we see a responsibility to do our part to help preserve Hawaii’s beautiful environment through sustainable practices including the installation of energy-efficient equipment,” said Tracy Walker, general manager, Hilton Hawaiian Village.

In addition to lighting, the Hilton participated in Hawaii Energy’s limited-time increased incentive for ECMs, which totaled $298,730 – the largest amount the program has ever provided for this technology to a business ratepayer.  The Hilton committed to the ECM project during Hawaii Energy’s promotion (November 2013 – January 2014) of an increased incentive from $55 per motor to $100.

ECMs use up to 50 percent less electricity compared to older inefficient motors by reducing the speed during periods of reduced cooling demand.  The ECMs, installed by EMCC Hawaii, are fan motors that are used to circulate conditioned air throughout the guest rooms.

In phase II of this project, to be completed in 2015, the Hilton plans to install more LEDs and T8 fluorescent lights in its remaining towers and ballrooms.  The hotel also plans to install kitchen demand ventilation control systems in all restaurants including its signature Bali Steak & Seafood and Tropics Bar & Grill.  Similar to ECMs, these systems can also reduce energy usage by as much as 50 percent compared to traditional ventilation systems by utilizing temperature and/or smoke sensing to adjust ventilation rates as needed.