Hotel In NYC Reaps Reward Of Utility Rebate

The Crowne Plaza Times Square hotel in New York City is the first business to receive a rebate from Con Edison for an energy saving initiative encouraged under the utility’s Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program. The hotel has received $13,200 in cash to offset an initial investment of $40,000, and management there expects to save more than $130,000 annually in electricity costs. The hotel received the rebate after it replaced 3,300 40-watt incandescent light bulbs illuminating its 80′ x 20′ foot “Crowne Plaza Times Square” sign with 8-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

The new bulbs will require more than 700,000 less kilowatt-hours for their 24/7 participation in the Times Square light show. The CFL bulbs are expected to glow for an estimated 25,000 hours (almost three years) as opposed to the seven-month run of their predecessors. Labor costs to change the bulbs (a three-day process) will also be reduced by $20,000 annually.

“As part of an ongoing commitment to increasing the hotel’s environmental responsibility quotient, we had been exploring various energy saving initiatives, when the building’s management company, Grubb & Ellis, brought Con Edison’s new program to our attention,” notes Gerry Hughes, director of operations who oversaw the project at the 770-room hotel. “The rebate is a most appreciated bonus and being the first business in New York City to receive one is a great source of pride!”

Launched in March 2010, Con Edison’s Commercial and Industrial Program is designed for large businesses with an average peak demand of more than 100 kilowatt hours to encourage them to undertake energy efficient lighting and heating and cooling upgrades with rebates and incentives available for most energy saving technologies. In the Crowne Plaza Times Square’s case, the rebate was calculated on a per bulb replaced basis at $4 each.