Imperial Green!
IT IS a widely acknowledged fact that the world has entered a period of resource scarcity as well as environmental degradation. With the increase impact of global warming and heightened concern for our surroundings, people have started to pay attention to the impact of hospitality industry on the environment.
The hotel industry as a whole has started taking sustainability as a serious issue and going green for some time now. BW Hotelier spoke to Anil Kumar, Director Engineering, at The Imperial New Delhi to find out about the green initiatives adopted by his hotel.
Sitting in the naturally lit atrium of The Imperial, Kumar started by speaking about the interiors and architecture of the hotel. He said, “Our hotel is situated in the heart of the city, and is an 81 years old property which is designed in such a way that the building itself is the green building. We have three acres of land covered with green area which works as a blanket against the pollution.”
“It is a myth that an old building cannot do energy saving initiatives. The only thing that one needs to take care of is the up gradation of equipment and technologies,” he added.
Kumar claims that The Imperial ensures pure quality of air to its guests. “We are using HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioner) in all our rooms which protect dust particles to enter the room. Air in the building is protected up to 5 to 10 microns,” he told us.
Recently, NDMC team praised the hotel for their waste management system. The hotel converts its 80 to 90 per cent of its waste to nitrogen rich manure. “We are using Organic Waste Composter which has the capacity to treat 600 kg of wet waste per day. Only the dry wastes excluding the papers go outside the hotel,” said Kumar.
According to Kumar, The Imperial saved more than Rs. four to five crore of power in the last one year. He believes in the power of training and trains his technicians to showcase the importance of green building concept.
At The Imperial, they have involved all the stake holders for the efficient usage of the recourses and for effective control of the wastage. They keep a track of the areas where energy can be conserved and take necessary innovative steps towards energy sustainability. By doing retro-commissioning they have saved energy by 15 per cent.
Every year The Imperial is increasing revenue by saving on energy cost. In 2015-16 the savings were around 8 to 10 percent of their budget. In 2016-17 the hotel saved around 15 percent and now they are aiming for savings of around 17 to18 percent.
The hotel implemented key changes for their employees and guests for a sustainable future like Roti maker in staff cafeteria instead of coal fire tandoor, solar panels for water heating, re-use of recycled STP water in flushing system, gardening and cooling towers, aerators in the taps, and waterless urinals for saving water amongst others.
Kumar told us that they are now planning to install solar panel to produce electricity. “Hopefully by the end of this year we will be installing solar panels at the roof. We will be using it to produce 300 to 400 units per day,” he stated.
