Climate Change and Tourism - UNEP - Division of Technology ...

160 Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges
is particularly relevant in small tropical islands, where food may often be imported by air. Using local
resources, for instance by serving mostly local seafood instead of imported meat dishes, is one such
measure. Restaurants can also favour organic or certified raw materials and products, and avoid food
that is particularly harmful to the environment, such as shrimps produced in converted mangrove areas.
Environmentally oriented restaurants in Europe have also started to serve increasing shares of vegetables,
as meat is far more carbon intense.
Water temperature
Guest showers, pools, and especially laundry operations can account for about half of a hotel’s energy
bill. Most common measures to reduce energy use for water heating include setting water temperatures
at no more than 60° C, installing low-flow shower heads and using energy-efficient equipment, for
example for laundry. All over the tropics, it is feasible to use solar heating systems, which have been
proven to work efficiently and securely.
The Orchid in Mumbai uses economisers in the boiler to recover the heat from the hot exit gas, which is
used for preheating the water fed to the boiler. Similarly, the Wellington YHA installed a heat exchanger
that recovers heat from shower waste pipes and transfers the waste heat into the incoming cold water,
which reduces costs for hot showers by 50%.
Heating costs for swimming pools can also add substantially to a hotel’s energy bill. Various technologies
are available to reduce these costs, including solar water heaters, heat pumps and pool covers. A heat
pump as opposed to traditional heating systems, such as electric boilers or condensing boilers, could
save up to 52% of energy use. The investment in a heat pump would be paid back in about 2 years,
making heat pumps an interesting alternative both environmentally and financially. 710
Cooling (food storage)
Energy can be wasted when cooling systems are creating temperatures colder than needed. Refrigerators
and freezers operate most efficiently when the refrigerator is set at 3.2° C and the freezer is set between
–18° and –15° C. There are a number of zero-cost measures to reduce the need for cooling, including:
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Lighting
allowing hot food to cool before storing it in refrigerators and freezers;
not overfilling refrigerators, as best cooling occurs when air can circulate throughout;
regular checking and cleaning of fans, condensers and compressors;
ensuring doors fit and close properly, and the seals are in good condition;
ensuring refrigerator compressor belts maintain proper tension;
defrosting freezers frequently since frost build-ups reduce efficiency.
There are some basic measures to reduce energy needs for lighting. In the temperate and northern
zones, the most cost-effective measure is to make best use of daylight (for instance by trimming trees
and in the overall siting and design of hotels). Other low-cost measures include energy-saving lighting
systems and occupancy sensors installed in common areas and guest rooms. The technology of energy
efficient light bulbs has improved so that compact fluorescent lamps and circline fluorescent lamps now
closely match the colour of incandescent lighting. An energy-efficient light bulb lasts about ten times
longer than conventional lamps and staff spend less time changing bulbs. Many hotels now operate
room cards for guest rooms to turn off lights (and other appliances) when leaving the room.
UNWTO, 9 July 2008