Audit helps hotel see the light... 

• Energy and material audit helps hotel, saves thousands every year
• 1 000 kWh per year saved by simply using a sun protection foil

The Burgas Hotel is a four-star establishment offering accommodation, facilities and services for both business and leisure visitors. The hotel has 28 double rooms and four luxury apartments, a restaurant with 60 seats and a lobby bar. It also has a conference room of 70 seats. Opened in 2006, it did not have any environmental management policy until recently. Energy and material assessment was conducted to identify room for improvements.

Experts in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the environment organised meetings with the hotel's management team to review its activities through the following steps:

• In-plan assessment of the hotel facilities, including all processes – accommodation and housekeeping, kitchen and restaurant, lobby bar, public space
• Analyses of material flows in the hotel – energy, water, bath cosmetics, paper, and office consumables, detergents, bulbs, etc.
• Identification of energy sources and energy consumers/users
• Identification of options for energy and material savings

Key results

Together, the experts and management identified a number of measures to improve environmental sustainability:

• Optimisation of lighting in the hotel would save 30 000 kWh per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 15 500 kg per year; an investment of € 1 430 would save the hotel € 2 600 annually, with a payback time of six months

• Installation of water-saving devices in sinks and showers would save 50 % of water consumed, amounting to 2 002 m3 per year; an investment of € 767 would save up to € 1 100 a year, with a payback time of 8 months
• Installing sun protection foil for the windows in the restaurant: for € 2 555, 1000kWh could be saved per year, saving € 87 annually

• Informing guests to save water and electricity would save up to 30 % of energy and water consumption; programmes costing only € 360 would save € 5 100 per year, paying back the investment in one month