Tourism companies owning large hotels have been carrying out power saving solutions so as to deal with, to a certain extent, the power shortage problems that are posing today.

Many effective solutions

In all hotels, air-conditioners, water boilers, and lights are absolutely essential. However, these devices consume a very large amount of electricity. This remains the hardest problem facing hotel managers during the severe power shortage presently. Consequently, many businesses have had to lower power consumption as much as possible to stabilize service prices and their business.

Mr. Bui Ngoc Hai, Director of DIC STAR Hotel, reveals that lately, his hotel has implemented many different ways of saving and received great results, for example installing modern air-conditioning system to cut down power consumption, opening doors and windows to make full use of natural lights and winds, setting air-conditioners at temperature of 22oC and above, utilizing domestic waste water to re-use for other purposes, using clean power, notifying customers of energy saving through notices on doors, stairways and bedrooms.

Because its initial design did not take into consideration power saving solutions, Vung Tau Post Hotel is now bearing electric bills of approximately VND200 million every month.

Therefore, with as many as 10 floors and 1 basement, 8,000 m2 of floor surface and 3 elevators, on average, each month the hotel only consumes 40,000 kWh of electricity. Also, according to Mr. Hai, in the near future, new solar-powered water boilers and lighting systems will be installed, helping to minimize power consumption and contribute to the Energy Conservation Campaign.

Grand Hotel is also working on an energy-saving project with many solutions such as creating many green spaces in the hotel precinct to provide clean air, alternating power cuts among areas, applying 1 hour power cut/1 working shift at office blocks, establishing an ISO committee to supervise employees’ energy using habits, collecting waste water to recycle for watering plants, fountains, according to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ut, Director of Grand Hotel. With these practical methods, the hotel has successfully reduced and minimized power consumption while still managed to maintain its Four-Star status.

Yet few start from architecture

Big hotels are basically big buildings, but architecturally, most of the hotels in Vung Tau province do not qualify as energy saving buildings.

According to Mr. Ngo Nhat Thanh, Director of Vung Tau Post Hotel, this kind of arbitrary construction are putting many firms under all sorts of problems when they have to pay for unnecessarily excessive electric bills. Vung Tau Post Hotel is one example.

Mr. Thanh also notes that during the construction of Vung Tau Post Hotel, the installation of solar-powered water boilers and lighting system was not taken into account. And now after realizing the importance of such devices, it’s already a “fait accompli”. All rooms were designed in architecturally older ideas, hence very difficult to make changes. For the terrace, it is also impossible to install both solar-powered water boilers system and solar-powered lighting system. Without any additional source of power, the company is now paying as much as VND200 million every month for electric bills.

Mr. Tran Giau, Head of Energy Management Division, Vung Tau Industry and Commerce Department claims that most big buildings in the province do not meet the architectural requirements for conserving electricity. Therefore, in the short term, the Department will encourage them to use energy efficiently and economically in buildings by means of implementing energy saving technology and equipment.

Tran Quy