Reducing your energy bill is essential for the efficiency and profitability of your holiday rental business, or any type of tourist accommodation (hotel, campsites, etc…). Energy bills in Europe have become more expensive in recent months. For this reason, it is essential to find alternatives that can be applied on a day-to-day basis that will allow us to lower our bills.
In this article we present you some achievable techniques that will help you to reduce the energy bill in your accommodation. Real solutions to be able to face the energy crisis 2022!
Read on and don’t miss our article with specific tips to save on your next bills.
Tip 1: Reduce energy bill by limiting electricity consumption in household appliances
One of the most energy-intensive sources of energy in accommodation are household appliances (fridges, washing machines, tumble dryers, etc.). One solution to reduce the energy consumption of these appliances is to start replacing or buying appliances with an A+ energy label or higher.
But what does the A+ label change? Appliances that benefit from this label consume up to 55% less energy than conventional appliances.
In addition, here is a list of measures that can be applied on a day-to-day basis:
- Fridge:
-Keep the refrigerator away from heat sources (oven, heating, window, etc.).
-Set the temperatures to +5Cº (for fridge) and -18Cº (for freezer).
-Organises the fridge storage in an optimised way, so that the cold is better distributed.
-Defrost the freezer every two or three months.
-Clean the rear grill of the fridge at least once a year.
- Dishwasher:
-Leave your guests a cautionary note, advising them to turn on the dishwasher only when it is full.
-Advise your guests to leave the dishes to dry in the open air.
-If you have a modern model, use the “eco” button to reduce the appliance’s electricity consumption. You can save up to 45%, depending on the model.
- Washing machine:
-Reduce the temperature of the laundry. For example, a 40°C cycle saves 25% energy compared to a normal 60°C cycle.
-Start descaling the machine and cleaning the filters regularly.
-Leave preventive notes to your guests, advising them to fill the washing machine completely with each wash, to be more responsible.
-Schedule the washing machine at off-peak hours.
- Other household appliances
-Clean the oven regularly.
-Switch off all electrical appliances (televisions, wifi, etc…) when the accommodation is not occupied.
Tip 2: Reduce energy bill by limiting consumption of electronic devices
Another easy-to-apply tip to save energy and have cheaper electricity bills is to start controlling the energy consumption of the electronic devices in your accommodation.
First of all, control and optimise the energy consumption of televisions. If you have not yet bought a television for your tourist accommodation or hotel, we recommend you to buy low consumption screens (less than 800 W), which will allow you to make consistent savings in your energy consumption.
Another tip, to save electricity, is to use the famous power sockets, so that you can easily disconnect all multimedia devices when they are not in use. This will allow you to prevent your electronic devices from staying in sleep mode (which consumes energy).
Finally, try to connect the accommodation’s router to a timer, so that it automatically switches off (you can decide from the timer settings). Don’t forget to warn your guests in case you use such a system, that they can regulate the timer, so that they still have access to the internet.
Tip 3: Save on heating
Control the temperature in your STR
One of the cornerstones of energy saving is to reduce heating costs as much as possible.
To save on energy consumption caused by heating, you can buy a programmable thermostat. A very useful tool that will allow you to control and manage the degrees.
Advise your guests to turn off or lower the heating one hour before going to bed. Another alternative would be to program the heating so that it automatically turns off or goes down a few degrees at night.
It is important to know that above 20 degrees Celsius, each additional degree increases the heating bill by around 7%. Therefore, try to program or set a limit to your heating to a maximum of 20 Cº in periods when it is not very cold.
Check the boiler regularly
The first tip is to start dusting the radiators. If you manage to do this regularly, you can save up to 10% of the energy consumed.
If you are equipped with older hydronic heating systems, the pipes are likely to rust, which can lead to a reduction in heating energy efficiency of up to 40%! It is therefore very important to check the condition of the pipes. In order to correct this problem, you can equip your radiators with thermostatic valves for individual adjustment. You can reduce your bill by up to 10%.
Avoid placing objects near the radiators to avoid interfering with the radiation. You can also place reflective panels behind the radiators to increase the efficiency of the radiators by 5 to 10%.
Discover the benefits of reducing energy consumption in your tourist accommodation.
Tip 4: Reduce lighting costs to reduce energy bill
Another essential key to reducing your energy costs is to save on electricity consumption and not to neglect the lighting in your accommodation. Currently, there are 3 tips that can be applied to reduce lighting costs.
Firstly, replace traditional light bulbs with commercially available energy-saving bulbs. It is true that these energy-saving bulbs are more expensive, but the price is amortised in less than a year, making them very attractive alternatives to reduce costs.
Secondly, start using LED bulbs. These are bulbs that consume 80% less energy than traditional bulbs on the market. Start replacing your traditional bulbs with LED bulbs, which last longer.
Leave cautionary notes next to the switches, encouraging the guest to use natural light instead of electric lighting during daylight hours.
Learn more and discover this new world trend, which is changing the hotel system.
Tip 5: Reduce water costs
In order to save your water costs, there are a number of tips and recommendations. Here is a list of tips to start saving water in your accommodation.
- Leave a note in the shower/bathroom, advising your guests to take showers instead of baths. You can for example leave figures on the sign illustrating the difference in water costs between showering and bathing.
- Check your plumbing regularly, to see if there are any leaks in your pipes. A water leak in the pipes can result in a huge daily water bill. For example, a water leak of about 25 litres/h, represents 219mº3 per year, or an equivalent cost of 638.28€.
- Install a dual-flush toilet in your home, which can release more or less water depending on your needs, to save water.
- If you have a house in the countryside or with a large garden, install a water tank to collect rainwater. You will be able to use the water for watering plants. You also have another option, but more expensive, to install a piping system for the toilets, connected to the rainwater tank.
Discover other methods to transform your hotel or vacation rental into a more sustainable business.
