Got a 180-room hotel client here in Corpus Christi on CenterPoint Energy and their usage is puzzling me. They're running 14.2 kWh per occupied room night, but AHLA benchmarks show 10-12 for similar properties in Texas. The facility is only 8 years old with decent HVAC systems. Anyone seeing similar high usage with CenterPoint accounts? Their rate is on Standard GS-2 schedule.
Hotel energy benchmarking - CenterPoint Energy vs national averages
Vivian, that's definitely high for a newer hotel property. I've got Cincinnati G&E accounts in the hospitality sector and they typically run 9-13 kWh per occupied room night. Is this a full-service hotel with restaurant and meeting facilities? Those amenities can push usage up significantly compared to limited-service properties that the AHLA benchmarks might be based on.
Hotels are tricky for benchmarking because occupancy rates vary so much. Here in Missouri with Ameren, I use annual kWh per available room rather than occupied room nights. It eliminates the occupancy variable. Your 180-room hotel should be running around 4,500-6,500 kWh per room annually depending on amenities. What does that calculation show?
Elmer, good point on the calculation method. This is a full-service Marriott with restaurant, pool, fitness center, and 12,000 sq ft of meeting space. When I calculate annual kWh per available room, they're hitting about 7,800 kWh which seems more reasonable for their amenity level. Cecilia, the restaurant and banquet facilities are probably driving the higher per-occupied-room numbers.
Don't forget about laundry operations in your benchmarking. Hotels wash everything on-site and those commercial washers and dryers are massive energy users. PPL territory here in Pennsylvania, but I've seen hotel laundry facilities account for 15-20% of total building consumption. If your CenterPoint client is doing all their own laundry, that could explain the higher usage per occupied room.
Also worth checking their guest room HVAC controls. Many hotels leave systems running even in unoccupied rooms to maintain comfort for quick turnovers. If they're not using occupancy sensors or smart thermostats, you could be seeing 20-30% higher energy usage than properties with better controls. The 7,800 kWh per available room is definitely on the high side but explainable with full amenities.