Hotel saves more by going green

SINGAPORE — Having set aside S$4.1 million for the retrofitting of environmentally-friendly improvements, which will be completed next month, Swissotel Merchant Court can expect to reduce their annual electricity consumption by about one-fifth.

The hotel, listed as one of the top 10 energy-efficient hotels in the BCA Building Energy Benchmarking Report released yesterday, has, for example, installed water meters to monitor consumption and auto-sensor taps at public area washrooms. As a result, the hotel managed to cut its annual water consumption by about one-third or 61,000 cubic metres — enough to fill 24 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Retrofitting works on its Central Water Cooled Chiller Plant also made the system more efficient. It brought in energy and water savings amounting to 44 and 20 per cent, respectively.

The hotel also replaced the glass doors leading to room balconies with double-glazed glass to better regulate indoor temperature and reduce energy consumption. In addition, light motion sensors were installed at all internal staircases and toilets, among other measures.

The hotel’s general manager Rainer Tenius noted that electricity and water consumption from operating around the clock had resulted in high operating and maintenance costs, prompting them to carry out the retrofitting works.