Hotel Management Way----Case Analysis of Gas-Fired Steam Boiler Energy-Saving Renovation in High-rise Hotel

Introduction

Hotel Management Way-The energy efficiency retrofit of gas-fired steam boilers is of paramount importance in today's industrial environment. Particularly in high-rise hotel operations, this retrofit not only reduces energy costs, but also helps to minimise environmental impacts, improve productivity and provide a more professional service.

A high-rise hotel decided to undertake an energy-saving retrofit of their gas-fired steam boiler, upgrading the boiler system with high-efficiency combustion technology and a heat recovery unit. As a result, they reduced their energy bills, resulting in significant annual savings. At the same time, the upgrade of the boiler system improved the stability of heating and hot water supply and increased customer satisfaction. As a result of the energy-saving retrofit of the hotel boilers, they have not only realised cost efficiencies, but also enhanced their brand image and attracted more environmentally and economically conscious customers.

Customer Background

This is a high-rise hotel in Ghana called "Haus". The hotel is an iconic landmark in the city, standing 45 floors high and offering 400 luxury rooms and suites. The hotel is ideally situated in a prime city centre location with a wide range of business, cultural and shopping facilities in the vicinity, attracting business people and tourists from all over the world.

Challenges and Goals

Although the "Haus" is renowned for its luxury and high-end service, the hotel management team was concerned about its energy efficiency and environmental impact. The hotel's energy supply was largely dependent on an ageing system of steam boilers that had been in operation for many years and were not efficient enough. Energy bills were escalating and the hotel's carbon emissions levels were significantly higher than required by local regulations. This raised concerns among the management team, who urgently needed to take action to improve energy efficiency, minimise environmental impact and ensure the hotel's sustainability.

The hotel's management team emphasised their high level of concern for energy efficiency and environmental protection, and they wanted to take effective measures to provide guests with a greener accommodation experience and reduce operating costs at the same time. They were determined to carry out a comprehensive steam boiler energy-saving retrofit to achieve this goal, improve the hotel's competitiveness and make a positive contribution to an environmentally friendly society.

The Solution

In response to high energy consumption, rising energy costs and high carbon emissions, the hotel adopted a comprehensive gas-fired steam boiler energy-saving retrofit programme that incorporates advanced equipment, technology and processes to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and minimise environmental impact.

Firstly, the hotel adopted the latest combustion technologies, including low-NOx combustion. These technologies ensure more complete combustion of fuel, reducing emissions and improving boiler efficiency.

The retrofit introduced a heat recovery system that effectively captures and reuses waste heat, such as waste heat from exhaust fumes. This system helps to maximise energy efficiency and reduce waste.

Modern control systems, such as PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) technology, were introduced for intelligent operation of the boilers. These systems are able to intelligently adjust the boiler to real-time demand to provide optimum performance and energy utilisation.

The advanced nature of the retrofit programme is reflected in the introduction of the latest combustion technologies, intelligent control systems and heat recovery devices. These technologies and equipment not only improve the energy efficiency of the boiler system, but also enhance the reliability of the system, reducing downtime and maintenance. The retrofitted system is able to adapt to the needs of high-rise hotels and ensure the stability of heating and hot water supply.

Energy savings

After the retrofit, the "Haus" hotel achieved significant energy savings. Energy consumption has been significantly reduced, saving millions of dollars in annual energy costs. In addition, carbon emissions have been significantly reduced, making the hotel more compliant with environmental regulations. The results of the retrofit were not only economic, but also improved customer satisfaction and environmental image.

The retrofit of the gas-fired steam boiler provided a comprehensive solution for the "Haus" hotel, highlighting its sophistication, reliability, and energy savings, thus achieving the hotel's energy efficiency, economic benefits, and environmental goals.

Implementation process

This ultra-high-rise building hotel domestic water system has many zones, vertically divided into seven systems, with conversion tanks and pumps on the intermediate equipment level, which requires high reliability of the energy supply system. In order not to affect the normal operation of the hotel during the renovation process, the following issues need to be considered in the design, construction and commissioning. 

Boiler modification: Firstly, we found that the boiler had been in operation for nearly 6 years, with high exhaust temperature and high heat loss.In order to improve the situation, we proposed to use a high-efficiency steam generator to replace the centralised gas boiler, so as to provide steam for the laundry room.

Domestic hot water renovation: In order to improve the efficiency of the domestic hot water system, we decided to make use of the free space in the basement, podium, roof, and each heat exchange room to set up equipment such as air-source heat pump water heaters and heat storage tanks. These units will be used to recover hot water prepared from waste heat in the laundry room, thus saving costs and improving the comfort of the laundry room. In addition, we added tanks as well as heat pump water heaters to provide more capacity for heating and storing hot water.

Pool Hot Water Retrofit: The pool hot water still comes from central steam in the boiler room, but the pool temperature is maintained by heat exchange between the steam and water heat exchangers and the pool cold water circulating pump.

Laundry Air Conditioning and Hot Water Retrofit: Due to the high ambient temperatures caused by the steam dryers and ironing machines in the laundry room, air conditioning was required to cool the room, resulting in wasted energy. Therefore, a heat pump water heater with a rated capacity of 19 kW was installed to produce hot water and cool the laundry room at the same time. These units will be placed in vacant spaces within the laundry room.

The key steps in the retrofit process and the active participation of the professional team were crucial to ensure the success of the project. Through careful planning, technical excellence and continued support, the retrofit of the steam boilers at the "Haus" hotel was successfully implemented with excellent results.

The energy saving retrofit of the steam boilers has brought significant results and multiple benefits to the "Haus" hotel, ensuring the success of the project.

Significant reduction in energy consumption: By introducing efficient combustion technology and heat recovery systems, the hotel's energy consumption has been significantly reduced. Specifically, the hotel achieved a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 30 per cent, which translates into millions of dollars in annual energy cost savings.

Dramatic reduction in carbon emissions: After the renovation, the hotel's carbon emission levels were significantly reduced to meet local environmental regulations. This not only reduces the risk of environmental liability, but also helps to improve the city's air quality.

Reduced operating costs: The reduction in energy costs directly leads to lower operating costs for the hotel. This allows the hotel to be more competitive in a highly competitive market, with more resources to spend on improving customer service and maintaining the facilities.

Increased Customer Satisfaction: The retrofitted boiler system operates more reliably, ensuring a consistent supply of heating and hot water. This has improved customer satisfaction, making the hotel more attractive and attracting more loyal customers.

These concrete results and benefits underline the success of the renovation project." The "Haus" hotel has not only improved its financial situation, but also its environmental profile, which is a win-win situation for sustainability and customer satisfaction. This project is an example for other companies on how to achieve economic efficiency and environmental goals through the retrofit of steam boilers.

Summary and Outlook

This case study highlights the importance of retrofitting gas-fired steam boilers to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and improve environmental image. The success of the "Haus" hotel demonstrates how energy wastage can be effectively tackled and how multiple benefits can be realised.

The retrofit has resulted in significant energy cost savings, increased economic sustainability and improved competitiveness. Significant reductions in carbon emissions have enabled the hotel to better meet environmental regulations, reducing the risk of environmental liability and demonstrating social responsibility. The retrofit improved the stability of the heating and hot water supply, increasing customer satisfaction and attracting more loyal customers. The hotel strengthened its sustainability profile through the retrofit project, attracting environmentally conscious customers and partners.

Continuing to drive energy efficiency improvements and sustainability will be the future of the high-rise hospitality industry. By adopting innovative technologies and making continuous improvements, high-rise hotels can achieve more success in terms of energy efficiency, cost savings and increased customer satisfaction.

If you are in the hospitality industry and show a keen interest in steam boiler retrofits, we warmly welcome you to contact EPCB, your professional boiler systems partner with extensive experience and expertise in delivering superior energy efficiency and sustainability solutions for high-rise hotels.