SCOTTSDALE, AZ? Marriott?s Camelback Inn is currently installing new low-energy glass windows in all of its 453 guestrooms as a conservation measure. The tinted, double-glazed windows have a half-inch gap filled with argon gas, an assembly which is designed to keep the rooms cool, according to Rob Bahl, director of engineering at the Camelback Inn here in Scottsdale. ?There are two purposes: to improve the energy efficiency of the room as well as the aesthetics because this type of window looks nice,? Bahl said. The low-energy glass will be in all guestrooms by the end of the year, according to Bahl, replacing older, traditional framed windows. The total cost of the window replacement will be approximately $1.2 million, Bahl said. Bahl describes the Camelback Inn as ?a unique property? from an energy standpoint. ?It?s more than 60 years old and was not all built at the same time. We have the full gamut of HVAC, heat pumps, residential-style furnaces, and hot and cold water systems,? he said. The Camelback Inn?s roots date back to 1936 when Jack Stewart, a young hotel manager, persuaded a group of investors to finance construction of a luxury resort in the Sonoran Desert. Designed by architect Edward Loomis Bowes, the resort cost $75,000 to build and accommodated 75 guests. Among the notables who stayed at the resort in its early days was J. W. Marriott Sr. who so enjoyed it, he made the Camelback Inn the Marriott?s first resort in 1967. Various enhancements and expansions followed including new guest- rooms, meeting space, 36 holes of golf, restaurants, shops and a 27,000-square-foot spa. To maintain a comfortable environment, ?most of the guestrooms have split systems with heat pumps and many of the residences in the Phoenix area are the same way,? Bahl said. ?Over the past five years we?ve been replacing the equipment.? Some of the air conditioning at the Camelback Inn is done via packaged systems while in other areas water chilled to 42 degrees is pumped through a coil for cooling. Bahl noted that the system is closely monitored by his staff which numbers 25. ?Four years ago we went to a direct digital control system to tightly monitor temperature in the rooms and how the system is operating,? he said. He added that the system operates based on sensors which indicate weather data including outdoor air temperature and humidity. Guests, however, control the temperature in their rooms. ?Marriott?s philosophy is that if you?re paying for the guestroom, you should have control,? Bahl said. ?But we?re in the rooms everyday; housekeepers are trained to set the room temperature at 78 degrees Fahrenheit which feels cool when it?s 115 degrees outside.? Although the Camelback Inn is in a desert area, ?it can get cold at night and in the winter temperatures can go below freezing,? Bahl noted, ?We have boilers to heat water and pumps that draw heat from outside to inside.? To conserve on water usage, the Camelback Inn uses low-flow toilets and water-saving devices on showerheads and faucets. As far as lighting, compact fluorescent fixtures in public spaces are improving efficiency. ?The change is dramatic from the incandescent lighting. An incandescent bulb may use 100 watts of energy whereas a compact fluorescent may use 13 watts,? Bahl explained. But compact fluorescent fixtures have drawbacks, Bahl noted. ?They don?t dim well although the technology has improved,? he said. In its guestrooms, the Camelback Inn uses three-way incandescent bulbs, he added. The Camelback Inn is also saving electricity with various pumps and fans, Bahl said. ?We have pumping schemes and fan schemes with a variable frequency drive to adjust the speed of the motor,? he said. ?This technology has improved and is becoming widespread.?
