Energy consumption patterns in a hotel building

A case study

Abstract

The hospitality industry is one of the most energy-intensive subsectors of the tourism sector. Most of the total energy consumption is due to maintaining an optimal temperature inside the occupied rooms. Conditions inside hotel rooms, hotel infrastructure, including tourist attractions such as swimming pools, restaurants, conference rooms, have a significant impact on the overall energy consumption of this sector. Hotels, unlike other commercial buildings, are characterized by the separation of functional areas. Additionally, the heat loads that change over time are difficult to estimate. The research was carried out in the historic hotel Turówka, which is a reconstruction of the historic salt sales point from 1812. Due to the historical nature of the building (entered in the register of monuments), the thermal modernization of the hotel, adjusting it to the prevailing energy standards, is a big challenge for designers. The work aims to determine the structure of the building's heating and cooling energy demand. Additionally, the factors influencing the building's energy demand in the building during the summer period are determined. The analysis focused on identifying typical patterns of weekly and daily demand and examining the correlation between meteorological parameters and the observed energy consumption. Based on the obtained results, factors that significantly affect the consumption of thermal energy in the building were identified. The article covers the analysis of the energy performance of the building, including the energy demand of three systems in the building: the cooling system, domestic hot water preparation, and the demand of the swimming pool area. Measurements of energy consumption were carried out continuously, using installed heat and cooling energy meters in key places of the installation. An in-depth energy analysis of a building is a necessary element to improve its energy performance and adapt it to the requirements of low-energy buildings. Monitoring the energy consumption of your building system can help you optimize energy use.