LAS VEGAS— The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino here, in an effort to save in chemical costs as well as water, is utilizing a new diagnostic and control system.
The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will be using the 3D Trasar system to save on the chemicals and water used for its air conditioning. The 2,548-room hotel expects to have the system operational in March, according to David Matthews, director of facilities.
“We’ll be using it to monitor the water we use and the chemicals which are designed to keep the calcium down and stop contamination. It will enable us to add the chemicals only as needed,” Matthews said. “We expect to have more finite control as a result.”
The new 3D Trasar system, introduced by Nalco Co., is designed to save hotels money through improved water and energy use along with extended equipment life.
In terms of the water conservation the system will allow, Matthews said, “That’s important. Water is a big issue in Las Vegas.”
The Rio All-Suite Hotel has some new programs in the works to conserve on energy and lower electric costs, which run “a little over $6.7 million” annually, Matthews said. “We’re installing new HVAC controls and we’re putting in a co-generation unit which will help us generate 40% of our own power,” he said. “We’ll have a three-and-a-half year payback on the co-gen system.”
The co-generation unit is expected to be operational by the end of this month.
The system can predict when water and energy wastage in air conditioning systems is likely to occur or when events will lead to complete failure of an air conditioning system, according to Nalco. When inefficient use of water or energy is predicted, the system automatically takes corrective action to prevent the wastage, potentially saving a hotel thousands of dollars a year, the company noted.
Hotels generally have centralized air conditioning systems with electrically driven chillers similar to large refrigerators. Chillers are expensive to run due to their high demand for electrical power.
In fact, statistics, at an average of $.05 per kilowatt hour for electricity, it costs $45,000 to $55,000 a year to operate a chiller in a medium-size hotel in warm climate locations, according to Nalco. Larger hotels generally operate multiple chillers simultaneously and can consume more than $100,000 annually in electricity.
In areas with high average electricity rates, annual electricity expenses for chiller operations can exceed $200,000 for a 1,000-room, full-service hotel.
Inefficient equipment is costly. In poorly maintained systems, a chiller may appear to be operating normally and performing its intended function, although it may actually be running 20% to 30% inefficiently. If, for example, the chillers in that 1,000-room hotel were 25% inefficient, it would cost an additional $50,000 annually to provide the same amount of air conditioning.
Events precipitating the failure of an air conditioning system are reported back to system operators to alert them that further action may be necessary.
