As you know, running a hotel or B&B is an energy-intensive undertaking. Saving energy and switching to cheaper tariffs can result in significant savings – without affecting the customer experience.

Catering for the needs of guests and patrons often leads to high energy consumption, but there are many ways for hospitality businesses to reduce their energy bills with just a few infrastructure adjustments and operational changes.

Did You Know? The hospitality sector’s annual energy costs exceed £1.3 billion.

Here are 7 simple ways for hotels and B&Bs to save energy:

1. Keep your cool with efficient temperature control

• Control your heating using timed thermostats and radiator valves.

• Don’t operate the heating and cooling systems simultaneously, by switching off heating when a room reaches a temperature of 21°C, and avoid turning on air conditioning until the temperature exceeds 23°C.

• Save up to 10% of your annual heating costs by servicing your boiler and other heating and cooling equipment regularly.

2. Lightbulb moments for energy-saving lighting

• Switch to low energy light bulbs, which use up to 80% less energy and often last much longer too.

• Install daylight sensors.

• Install occupancy sensors so that lights are only on when needed.

3. Don’t get into hot water

• Avoid overheating your water - a temperature of 60°C provides comfortable hot water and is hot enough to kill legionella bacteria.

• Insulate your hot water pipes to avoid heat loss.

• Use solar water heating systems for hot tubs.

• Consider fitting spray water taps, which use less hot water and therefore less energy.

4. Get the team involved

• Educate and train staff on ways to improve energy efficiencies.

• Incentivise staff to think of ways to reduce energy consumption across the hotel.

• Use signage and notes to remind guests of energy-saving best practices, such as re-using towels.

5. Leave it to the experts

• Use an energy broker to compare energy quotes and tailor an energy strategy for your hospitality business. By shopping the market and switching suppliers, you could save up to 40%!

• An energy broker will also be able to tailor an ongoing energy strategy suited to your specific needs.

• They can also give you the information you need to understand, react, and maximise efficiency by identifying discrepancies and areas of potential savings.

Saving energy means saving money, and helping to save the environment – all while keeping guest happy, comfortable, and coming back!