SACRAMENTO, July 30, 2001 � The California Travel and Tourism Commission has launched "Enlighten," a national public information campaign aimed at visitors to and within the Golden State this year with additional energy-saving tools for hospitality-related businesses.  Energy Saving Tips for hoteliers and innkeepers include NO COST Tips.

Assuring travelers �the lights are still on� in California, the 'Enlighten' campaign provides our hospitality partners with strategies to save energy, reduce costs, and give their guests suggestions on helping conserve power," said Caroline Beteta, Executive Director, California Travel and Tourism Commission. 

Tips for Hospitality Businesses

No Cost

• Inform guests about planned outages and what to expect in the unlikely event of an occurrence.

• Place energy and water conservation reminder cards in guest rooms.

• Offer guests the opportunity to change linens less frequently.

• Create a procedure to let guests signal housekeeping.

• Ask guests to draw shades, blackout curtains when not in the room.

• Stock supply of flashlights and batteries. 

• Regularly clean lighting fixtures both inside and out.

• Experiment with dimmer lights in public spaces and use daylight exclusively in areas that allow for that as much of the day as possible.

• Turn off lighted signs, or illuminate for fewer hours each night.

• Instruct housekeepers to use natural light when cleaning guest rooms.

• Educate your staff to close drapes, turn off lights and heating/air conditioning when rooms are unoccupied.

• When occupancy is not at peak, consider keeping one floor empty & turn off air conditioning, etc. in those rooms.

• Limit the amount of hot water used for cleaning.  Locate outside ice and vending machine boxes under cover in shaded areas.

• Keep refrigerators full (water jugs make good fillers).

• For food safety keep your refrigerator between 36 and 40 degrees and your freezer between 0 and 5 degrees.

• Check refrigerator door seals regularly to make sure they're airtight.  Keep evaporator coils clean and free of ice build-up. Brush or vacuum dirty refrigerator or freezer coils.

• Make sure oven doors fit tightly; check gaskets for leakage.  Adjust menus to include a variety of cold dishes as well as hot dishes that can be prepared with gas only.

• Keeping within regulation guidelines, reduce the hot water temperature. For washing hands, you may be able to turn the temperature to 110°F. Dishwashing requires higher temperature settings such as 130°F. 

• Schedule laundry operations to off-peak hours.

• Clean lint screens in dryers. Keep your dryers' outside exhaust clean.

• Separate dryer loads into heavy and light items.

• Install solar heating systems for water, pools and spas.

• Use covers on pools and hot tubs.

• Reduce swimming pool temperature by up to a few degrees while still maintaining guest comfort.  Switch your pool filter and sweeper operations to off-peak hours --- between 6pm and noon weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. In the winter, two hours a day of filtering could cut your filter's energy use by 40% to 50%, yet keep your pool clean.

• Replace incandescent lights that are used more than a few hours a day with fluorescent lighting.

• Install dimmer switches where incandescent lighting is used.  Replace air conditioner filters for maximum airflow and efficiency.

• Install water flow restrictors and aerators in showers and faucets.  Create an incentive program to encourage your staff to participate in and improve upon conserving energy practices.

• Purchase "energy star" appliances wherever possible (www.energystar.gov).

• Seal heating and cooling ductwork. 

• Insulate supply pipes and hot water tanks, making sure to leave air intake vents uncovered.  Clean heat exchangers and perform routine maintenance on refrigerating equipment vacuum coils, and replace worn door gaskets. 

• Install shading methods (e.g. window coverings, reflective window film, awnings, trees, shrubs, trellised vines) to shade sun-exposed windows and building walls, especially southern and western exposures.

• Repaint building exteriors using light colors to deflect more sunlight and heat.

• Install motion sensors for turning on lights only when needed. 

• Install programmable thermostats. Install locking covers on your thermostats to prevent tampering with temperature settings. 

• If appropriate, use laptop computers, which use 90% less power than desktops.

• Use ink-jet printers, which are much more energy-efficient than lasers. 

• Retrofit incandescent or fluorescent exit signs with long-lasting, low-energy LED exit signs.

Travel and tourism expenditures totaled $75.4 billion in 2000, provided employment for 1.1 million Californians, and generated $4.9 billion in tax revenues.