Customer Challenges

• Maintain focus on offering high-end guest experience
• Balance energy efficiency with room comfort
• Prevent unscheduled HVAC repairs

The Perfect Balance of Comfort and Energy Efficiency

Even New York City’s most successful hotels remain susceptible to the challenges brought on by the rising cost of energy. In fact, hospitality leaders often face an additional challenge in meeting--or exceeding--the high standards of guests. With an EcoSmart solution in place, early estimates predicted that the Crowne Plaza Times Square might save nearly six figures on annual utility costs. Still, concerns about room comfort and guest perception initially precluded the Crowne Plaza from installing an energy management solution.

To allow guests to provide feedback on Telkonet’s EcoSmart technology, the Crowne Plaza elected to perform a trial installation. After just a few months, the positive guest response to the new thermostats satisfied decision-makers, and the hotel made the decision to install EcoSmart in all 795 guestrooms.

EcoSmart: A Guest-Centric Solution

The Crowne Plaza replaced existing thermostats with Telkonet’s ZigBee-enabled EcoWave thermostat package, which include an EcoAir display thermostat and an EcoSource HVAC control unit. The EcoAir and EcoSource communicate wirelessly, allowing for flexibility in selecting the location of the thermostat and easy installation.

To enable remote monitoring and control of the HVAC system in each guestroom at the Crowne Plaza, the EcoWave thermostats connect wirelessly to a robust property-wide network. Telkonet’s cloud-based EcoCentral Virtual Engineer command center aggregates and processes room-by-room data to assist a facility manager in dispatching maintenance personnel more effectively and responding remotely to temperature change requests. To help prevent unscheduled emergency repairs, EcoCentral Virtual Engineer informs on-site staff of HVAC systems that may not be functioning optimally, allowing for proactive maintenance.

Savings Results

The Crowne Plaza Times Square installed EcoSmart in 795 rooms during January of 2011. Implementation of the energy management system reduced HVAC equipment runtime by 24% as well as providing annual savings of $112,182.

“Early in the decision-making process, interest in Telkonet’s EcoSmart solution at the Crowne Plaza Times Square hotel was driven by the potential for significant energy savings. As our understanding of the technology evolved, we discovered that EcoSmart exceeded our expectations for what might be accomplished through remote monitoring.

I rely on EcoCentral Virtual Engineer to help me troubleshoot what’s happening behind a closed door: has the guest attempted to adjust the temperature at the thermostat? Has the HVAC unit been running for an excessive amount of time? With the EcoSmart thermostats and EcoCentral Virtual Engineer, I have the ability to quickly and efficiently resolve HVAC issues.

Vincent Curcio
Director of Engineering
Crowne Plaza Times Square

Project Facts

• EcoCentral Virtual Engineer
• Recovery Time™
• EcoWave Thermostat Packages
• EcoContact Door Contacts

The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag

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