Energy in hotels: from overconsumption to a zero footprint

Photo from Jason Mavrommatis of Unsplash

After food, water and waste, energy will dominate the discussion around the hotel of the coming decade, not only as a cost but as a matter of availability. With more than 25 years in the sector, I find that energy is usually the second-largest operating cost after payroll, while cooling and heating (HVAC), according to the European Hotel Energy Solutions programme, absorb roughly half of total consumption.

Where efficiency is measured. The most reliable indicator is energy intensity (EUI), the consumption per square metre per year. Most studies place hotels in the 200 to 400 kWh/m2 per year range, with the average around 305 to 330 kWh/m2. The smaller the number, the cleaner the building.

An example of overconsumption. Picture an energy-class D hotel, built in the 1990s, with a steam network, old insulation, incandescent lamps, oversized chillers and no building management system (BMS). Here waste is not an accident but a structural feature: heat lost from unmaintained piping, air conditioning running in empty rooms, hot water produced with oil. Southern European hotels of this category have, according to the same studies, a saving potential of 25 to 30%.

An example of underconsumption. At the other end, the newly built voco Zeal Exeter Science Park by IHG in Britain was designed to the Passivhaus standard and achieves an EUI below 60 kWh/m2, among the lowest known in the country, that is almost one fifth of an average hotel. The difference is not magic technology, but a proper envelope, airtightness and heat recovery.

Zero-footprint hotels. room2 Chiswick in London was presented as the first whole-life net zero hotel, about 89% more efficient per square metre than the typical British hotel, covering heating, cooling and hot water from on-site renewables. In 2025 Radisson opened, in Manchester and Oslo, its first net-zero hotels certified by TUV Rheinland, with full electrification, 100% green power and heat pumps. And in Greece, Sani Resort in Halkidiki was certified carbon neutral as early as 2020, operating on 100% renewable electricity.

What can be done tomorrow, at almost no cost. Before any investment, there are zero-CAPEX measures with immediate payback: switching to LED lighting (up to 75% saving on lighting), motion sensors in common areas, key cards or switches that cut power in an empty room, realistic temperature setpoints (24 to 26°C in cooling, 20 to 21°C in heating), towel and linen reuse programmes, a pool cover at night, regular filter and refrigerant maintenance and, most importantly, measurement. Without submeters per department, you are managing blind.

A realistic five-year plan. For an existing hotel that wants to cut cost and emissions, I propose the following path:

• Year 1, Measurement and zero cost: energy audit, installation of a BMS and submeters, LED, sensors, setpoint adjustment, staff training. Typical saving of 8 to 12% with no substantial investment.

• Year 2, Envelope and hot water: insulation, double glazing, shading, solar thermal and heat recovery. In hot water the saving reaches 40 to 70%.

• Year 3, HVAC: replacing old systems with inverter heat pumps and electrifying the kitchen and laundry, where the largest share of consumption lies.

• Year 4, On-site renewables: photovoltaics (net metering or self-consumption), battery storage, EV chargers.

• Year 5, Certification and neutrality: ISO 50001, offsetting the residual emissions through certified programmes, and independent verification.

The financial dimension. IRENA estimates that sustainable buildings are at least 20% more resource-efficient, with correspondingly lower bills. From my own experience at a hotel unit in Crete, an integrated programme of energy interventions delivered an internal rate of return (IRR) of about 17% and a 32% reduction in CO2 emissions. In other words, this is not green marketing, but a measurable investment result with a secure return on capital.

My experience shows that such a path is not a cost but an investment: it lowers the bill, shields the hotel against energy prices, strengthens its reputation with an increasingly conscious clientele and, above all, protects the very natural environment on which our whole tourism rests.

#SustainableHospitality #EnergyEfficiency #ZeroFootprint #GreenHotels #EcoFriendlyTravel

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