As you may or may not know, in addition to making smart home controls available and affordable to the masses, Zen also has a commercial division that services businesses. Through this Division, we help our business clients enjoy savings by making them more energy-efficient.
Earlier this week, our parent company, The Chron Organization, Inc. (Ticker: CHRO) announced in a press release that we have entered into a partnership agreement with three of the nation’s leading hospitality groups, led by Ameristar Hospitality Group. Our commercial division has already begun site surveys on a select group of 10 hotels for the purposes of a case study on the hospitality industry.
“Based on the first few site surveys we’ve conducted, we’re estimating that we will be able to save these hotels between 30 and 40 percent of their annual utility costs,” said our VP of Business Development, Jeff Bay-Andersen.
Within the hospitality industry, energy efficiency may not always be a priority for hotel owners, but when they learn about the money achieved through energy savings, they quickly realize the value in increased cash making it to the bottom line. Through our flagship commercial offering, the Zen Zero-Cost Program™, hotel owners can realize these savings without paying any money out-of-pocket and without inconveniencing any of their guests.
It is the perfect marriage because our smart controls also work with the existing infrastructure of hotels and are minimally invasive, so the installation process would not disrupt normal daily operations. Some of the solutions we offer businesses include smart thermostats, motor controls, LED lighting, refrigeration optimization and ozone-water treatment systems, to name a few.
Unlike owners of typical businesses, owners in the hospitality industry cannot control how much energy is used in each individual room throughout their hotels. According to Energy Star, the average American hotel spends $2,196 per room annually on energy. A 2016 survey by E.ON, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company, revealed that one-third of participants are less energy conscious when staying in hotels because they are not paying for it and more than half of them believe it is the hotel’s responsibility be energy-efficient.
Another survey by TripAdvisor, the world’s leading travel site, revealed that the “green travel trend” is gaining momentum and 71 percent of survey participants said they actively plan to make eco-friendly travel decisions, including their choice of hotel. So not only will our smart control solutions be better for the environment and decrease operating expenses, but they could also increase tourism.
Moreover, the money saved through these solutions can free up capital for hotel owners to make other improvements not normally allotted in the budget; and unlike other technology companies, we can offer these solutions to them at no cost. Energy Star estimates that reducing energy usage by as little as 10 percent across the industry could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 million tons. If hotel management actively promotes their sustainability efforts to their guests, this could help establish a new set of expectations for the hotel experience.
As you have just learned, smart technologies extend well beyond the home. By helping businesses consume energy responsibly while saving money in the process, we are doing our part to promote sustainability as they reduce their carbon footprint.
Until next Friday, Cheers, and TGIZEN :) The Zen Team??
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