Seagate Hotel & Spa in Florida reduces energy use by 20 percent

The Seagate Hotel & Spa in Delray, Fla., achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, a U.S. Green Building Council designation that rates buildings for their design, construction, operation and maintenance and reward the building owners for their environmental responsibility. Seagate installed Honeywell’s Inncom guestroom energy-management system solutions prior to the property opening to the public in October 2009.

“We wanted to create an environmentally responsible business that balanced energy reduction with guest comfort,” said Garrett Graue with Seagate’s development company. “Since we installed Honeywell’s system we have verified our energy use is approximately 20 percent less than similar properties in our area. The system optimizes electricity use by intelligently managing the total guest room environment.”
 

Seagate’s energy-management implementation is networked with the property’s front-office system to reduce unnecessary energy use, especially when hotel occupancy rates are low. When a guest checks in to the hotel, the system changes that guest’s room to "rented/occupied" status and cools the room for a period of 10 minutes, ensuring the room is comfortable before the guest arrives.

“Honeywell’s Inncom energy-management processes are transparent to our guests, and our utility savings are phenomenal,” Seagate GM William Sander said in a statement. “Guests set their room temperature the way they prefer and the system maintains their comfort level. When a guest leaves his or her room each day, the Inncom system lowers the temperature to conserve energy. When the guest returns, the Inncom door sensor detects their entry and the smart digital thermostat reinstates the guest’s temperature setting.”
 
Honeywell’s research shows that the vast majority of guests do not adjust the thermostat temperature during their stay if room temperature is set correctly when they first enter their room. If a balcony door is left open while the air conditioning is on in a Seagate guest room, the system stops the AC until the door is closed. Infrared guestroom occupancy sensors also notify housekeepers via a hallway doorbell indicator when guests are in a room to eliminate avoidable disturbances.
 
“When I talk with hotel operators in our part of Florida I can see our electric bills are much lower than other properties,” Sander said. “We are committed to guest comfort and Honeywell’s Inncom system delivers that while reducing our operating costs. The system even alerts our engineer if a guest room’s temperature is not in line with smart digital thermostat temperature setting. This small feature is huge for us. It enables our staff to correct a possible guest room environmental problem often before the guest is aware of it.”

In addition to the Inncom energy-management system, Seagate Hotel & Spa installed several other room-automation controls, including an Inntouch doorbell system, lighting controls that enable remote control of room ambience, bedside controllers and an entry-door switch monitor.