Investing in efficient equipment is often the first strategy used to achieve energy consumption reductions, but without smart operations and maintenance procedures and effective employee engagement, an organization will not achieve the full value of its energy efficiency-directed capital investments.  HEI Hotels & Resorts developed the Fab Four Energy Buddies program to address this need. 

Every HEI property features a Fab Four – the four department heads from the most energy intensive areas of the hotel (engineering, housekeeping, kitchen, and banquets). These four leaders are responsible for finding and implementing energy efficiency opportunities within their own departments, and collectively across the property. The Fab Four also must recruit a member within their department to be their Energy Buddy and serve as the critical “boots on the ground.”  Energy Buddies ensure Fab Four energy efficiency measures are actually being implemented by hotel staff on a daily basis by completing a department-specific checklist every night. The checklist helps Energy Buddies ensure that unnecessary equipment gets powered down, lights in areas without need of illumination are turned off, and thermostats get set to their standby set-points.

With this tag-team approach, the program has already shown good promise, with properties saving 5% annually on energy costs, and more savings expected in the future. HEI incentivizes the Fab Four and Energy Buddies teams to achieve the best improvement in property performance by giving out awards every six months to the teams who have achieved the highest savings. To keep things fair, the hotels are separated into seven divisions based on size, and the top performing property in each division receives a $3,000 prize. The prize money is split between the Fab Four and their respective Energy Buddies responsible for the energy performance improvement.

To support and encourage the teams, once a month a “What’s the Buzz?” newsletter is sent out to all participants. The newsletter shows the current standings, offers energy saving tips, and highlights individuals at the hotels who perform as “Energy Rock Stars” with their energy conservation efforts.

Fab Four and Energy Buddy Checklists

What's The Buzz