Choosing Building Components for Lodging

FEMP: Lighting Calculator Building Toolbox: Choose Building Components FEMP: Purchasing Energy-Efficient Products

Whether you are building a new hotel or renovating an existing one, the building components you choose will have a direct impact on your bottom line. Choosing energy-saving building components is an opportunity to realize substantial returns, not only in new construction or renovation projects, but also in maintenance of existing buildings.

For example, smart choices for the building envelope—including windows and doors, insulation, foundations, structural elements, and roofing—can significantly reduce demands on HVAC and other energy-using systems. For many buildings, installation of energy-efficient lighting is one of the simplest ways to yield fast paybacks and ongoing savings. Efficient lighting technologies such as T-8 and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), electronic ballasts, and solid-state LED exit signs can significantly reduce your lighting consumption and costs.

A Lighting Calculator available on DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Web site can help you estimate potential energy savings by simply inputting your current lighting data. Energy-efficient lighting technologies lower maintenance costs, too—these technologies last significantly longer than standard fixtures. You can also multiply your energy savings by looking beyond energy-efficient fixtures to consider centralized lighting controls, occupancy sensors, and other related energy-saving options.

	Success Story Williams Inn, Williamstown, Massachusetts The owner of the Williams Inn in Williamstown, Massachusetts took advantage of his utility company's free energy audit with rebates for lighting upgrades. The total project cost after rebates was $830, and the payback occurred in just one month.

For more in-depth information on energy-efficient lighting and other building technologies, visit the Building Toolbox section of this site. Choose Building Components provides a comprehensive guide to the latest information on:

• Appliances and Equipment
• Electricity
• Building Envelope: Windows, Doors, Insulation, Foundations, Framing, Roofs
• Heating and Cooling Systems
• Lighting and Daylighting
• Water Heating

A helpful guide to purchasing energy-efficient products can be found on DOE's FEMP Web site. FEMP's product efficiency recommendations include cost-effectiveness examples, buyer tips, and selection guidance. Energy cost calculators can help you estimate the lifetime energy cost savings potential of various products.

	Success Story Thomas Mott Homestead B&B, Alburg, Vermont At the Thomas Mott Homestead Bed & Breakfast in Alburg, Vermont, energy improvements to the pre-Civil War farmhouse are saving more than $10,000 annually in energy costs. Energy improvements included replacing an old electric baseboard heating system with a continuous-flow hot water system and an energy-efficient boiler. All exterior and interior walls were opened and filled with insulation, and 39 double sliding glass doors were replaced with energy-efficient windows.

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