DC Hotelier Buys RECs for 100% Wind Energy

June 2, 2009

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Great Addresses, an independent hotel management company, has purchased 100-percent green energy portfolios for its flagship properties in Washington, D.C., by partnering with World Energy Solutions Inc., which operates online exchanges for energy and green commodities. The hotel management company worked initially with World Energy to procure a 36-month electricity contract with 10-percent green power for its D.C. lodgings, The Carlyle Suites Hotel and The Savoy Suites Hotel.

Based on these savings, Great Addresses then invested in a three-year strip of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) on the World Green Exchange to green its entire energy purchase, which means the Carlyle Suites and Savoy Suites Hotels will effectively run on 100-percent wind power for the next three years, says the company.

Phil Adams, president of World Energy, based in Worcester, Mass., says one of the “most significant ways companies can go green is by re-thinking how they procure energy and making renewable energy a fundamental part of their standard energy purchase.”

According to a survey commissioned by Deloitte last year, about 34 percent of business travelers “seek out hotels that are environmentally friendly.” Most hotel chains including the Hilton Hotels are meeting their sustainability goals by reducing energy consumption, CO2 emissions, waste output and water use.

Similarly, the Carlyle Suites and Savoy Suites Hotels also are implementing sustainable business practices such as partnering with green-minded vendors, updating guest rooms and function areas with energy-efficient lighting and water-saving devices, and adding eco-friendly amenities.

Another example is the Great Wolfe Lodge’s Project Green Wolf initiative, created to make all of its family resorts environmentally friendly. Great Wolf Lodge, based in Madison, Wisconsin, says it is the first and only U.S. hotel chain to have all U.S. properties Green Seal certified silver. Green Seal recently established its Laureate Program to recognize companies for their leadership in meeting eco-friendly standards.

The resort chain says certification has helped the company use less electricity, gas, and water, which saves natural resources and reduces. At Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains, Pa., for example, the company saved nearly nine million gallons of water in one year by changing plumbing fixtures to low-flow units.

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