Evaluation of the Energy Consumption in Mediterranean Islands Hotels: Case Study: The Balearic Islands Hotels

Abstract

Hotels rank amongst the highest energy consumers in the tertiary building sector [4]. Improved service quality mandates that hotel buildings, facilities and installations are maintained to the highest standards, thus renovations are becoming common in order to keep up with competitivity. This offers great opportunities for promoting energetically efficient measures, exploitation of renewable energy sources (RES) and rational use of energy (RUE) in the hotel sector. The Balearic Islands are one of the first tourist destinations with about half million beds available. Many successful hotel companies that have emerged during the 70's and the 80's are now exporting their experience to other expanding destinations. The Balearic Government has studied about 200 hotels in order to investigate the levels of energy consumption and sustainability among them. This research has been performed with the intention of appreciating the opportunities of efficiency improvement of the energy facilities so as to supply, as much as possible, with RES the energy demand.

Evaluation of the renewable energy application in Mediterranean hotels: Case study the Balearic Islansd` hotels

“…The solar energy is only the 0,5 % of the total energy consumption in Spain and the 0,1% in Italy and France, very small if we compare with the 8,4% of Greece, if we consider that all these Mediterranean countries have a similar solar radiation. [1] Hotel sector is uniquely placed to provide the impetus for change in business behaviour in the tourist sector, because of its multiplier effect on guests, staff and suppliers as well as the central role that hotels play within local communities. Additionally, possible energy conservation techniques for RUE and exploitation of RES have a unique demonstration potential and a high exposure to millions of people that visit hotels at one time or another.…”

“…Although a 50% is a quite large efficiency for the solar-electric converters available nowadays, the figure is not so exaggerated if we take into account that a great part of the electric energy consumption goes for thermal uses. [1] Hotels that have installed solar collectors at the roof of the hotel to cover more than the 60% of the domestic hot water demand, may have an excess of energy at summer (see figure 3) due to; low occupancy, reduction of hot water consumption or using of heat recovery systems from the chillers. This installation usually needs a system for dissipating excess of energy.…”

Possibility of Zeroing CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions Due to Energy Use in Gavdos Island, Greece

“…Energy consumption in Mediterranean island hotels has been reported [18]. emissions residential houses and hotels due to energy use in Crete has been described [19] and [20].…”

“…a) Electricity will be used for cooking in residential buildings and in commercial shops, replacing LPG. It will be used also for lighting and the operation of various electric devices, b) Solar thermal energy will be used for hot water production, c) Solid biomass will be used for space heating in the residential buildings during the winter, d) Annual electricity consumption would be at 1000 KWh per permanent inhabitant, e) Each tourist may remain in the island for five (5) days on average, f) Each tourist will need 10 KWh per night spent on the island [18], g) An electric car consumes 0.1 KWh per Km [22]. Annual electricity consumption for transportation in the island would be 5000 KWh, and h) Although it is not discussed in this paper the implementation of energy efficiency measures in households and enterprises is considered a prerequisite for the zeroing of the carbon footprint in Gavdos Island.…”