Hotels use a significant amount of electricity to ensure their guest comfort and satisfaction The hotels require energy every hour for constant heating, lighting, and providing hot water to guest rooms, which can push the cost of electricity pretty high. However, it is not just the rooms and hot water that take the energy.

Most hotels have on-site restaurants, spa area with a sauna and jacuzzi, as well as outdoor facilities including a heated swimming pool and a large patio area and more that require energy to run optimally. With this in mind, one of the big questions for Hotel owners, and sustainability planners is how much electricity does a hotel use and how hotels can reduce their electricity bills.

One way hotel owners can tackle their energy challenges is by installing a battery-based energy-storage system, a device that stores energy in a giant battery for later use. Many ESS units operate on renewable energy, like solar or wind, and offer various storage capabilities that can be scaled to the size of the hotel. ESS can be coupled with an existing solar system or connected directly to the grid.

On average, hotels spend 6% of the operating costs on electricity bills. Throughout the hospitality sector alone, UK businesses spend in excess of 1.3 billion in annual energy costs. On top of those everyday costs, extended power outages and extreme weather conditions can be crippling to a hotel’s balance sheet. Meanwhile, increased focus on sustainability from both guests and government means that green practices are no longer a “nice to have.” They are imperative to a hotel’s future success.

Here are the ways that EnSmart Commercial Battery Storage can help hotels address energy issues:

1. Reduce Energy Bills

For Hotels there are two ways to be more profitable: increase revenue or reduce expenses. An EnSmart Commercial ESS helps with the latter by storing energy gathered for later use during peak periods. This could be as simple as storing up solar energy during the sunny morning hours for use during the evening rush or taking advantage of the low cost power in the middle of the night to have extra energy available for the afternoon surge.

In both examples, by switching to saved energy at times when grid costs are the highest, hotel owners can quickly reduce that $2,200 energy bill spent annually per room.

This is where the real value of Smart ESS comes to play. Unlike other equipment such as generators or emergency lighting that are purchased with the hope they will never be used, an ESS is purchased with the idea that it is used and starts paying you back immediately. Instead of asking the question, “How much is this going to cost?,” hotel owners exploring an ESS quickly realize the question they should be asking is, "How much is this going to save me?"

2. Backup Power

Power outages are nightmares for hoteliers. In addition to creating unsafe and unpleasant conditions for guests (which could lead to bad reviews at best and guest and site safety issues at worst), outages can affect everything from lights and elevators to critical business systems and kitchen appliances. An extended outage could shut down a hotel for days, weeks or—in some cases—for good.

Now, the good news is that we’ve come a long way in the last 20 years, and backup power in hotels in now required by The International Code Council. But while diesel generators have historically been the chosen solution, they are often noisy, emit carbon monoxide, require ongoing fuel costs and regular maintenance and can typically only power a small area at a time.

An ESS, in addition to avoiding many of the traditional problems of diesel generators noted above, can have four commercial units stacked together, offering 1,000 kilowatts of stored energy for use during extended blackouts. When paired with sufficient solar energy and with reasonable adaptation for the available power, the hotel can keep all critical systems operational, including safety systems, refrigeration, internet and business systems. When those business systems still work at the hotel restaurant and bar, the hotel can maintain or even increase revenue during an outage.

3. Sustainability and Greener Practices

With the increasing focus on sustainable business practices from guests and government agencies, Smart ESS can be a big part of a hotel’s journey to a greener future with more focus on renewable energy sources like solar and wind (for everyday power) and less reliance on fossil fuels (for backup power).

From an ecological standpoint, decreasing dependency on fossil fuels by embracing solar power and promoting EV infrastructure supports the UK’s broader carbon reduction targets. This not only aids in fighting climate change but also establishes the hotel sector as a pioneer in sustainability.

Being recognized as a “green hotel” might attract more eco-conscious travelers. By investing in solar car parks, BESS, and EV charging stations, hotels can cater to this environmentally aware demographic, setting themselves apart in a competitive marketplace.

Adopting solar energy not only matches guest preferences but also significantly lowers the carbon footprint of hotels. This is especially important as more guests and businesses strive to minimize their environmental impact. By demonstrating their dedication to sustainability, hotels can boost their brand reputation, draw in more guests, and potentially charge higher rates for their eco-friendly initiatives.

Summary

Hotel owners can no longer afford to ignore their energy consumption. With escalating costs and growing sustainability requirements, hotels must consider their energy footprint.

Incorporating solar energy car parks, energy storage systems, and EV charging infrastructure into the UK hotel industry signifies a strategic shift towards sustainability and operational efficiency. Hotels, with their extensive parking facilities and high energy use, are ideally positioned to leverage these technologies.

By adopting renewable energy and boosting energy resilience, hotels can attract eco-friendly guests, minimize their carbon footprint, and realize substantial cost savings. In an ever more competitive and environmentally conscious market, the integration of solar energy, BESS, and EV infrastructure is essential—not just a smart choice, but a critical step towards a sustainable future.

EnSmart Power offers a broad range of compact and cost-effective commercial energy storage solutions to the UK hotel industry. To explore the potential of commercial battery storage systems for your hotel, contact us at info@ensmart-ess.co.uk.