The first of 10 energy audits on small and mid-sized hotels and resorts in The Bahamas have revealed that the hotels can make significant savings through a variety of "no-cost, low-cost and investment cost initiatives", Guardian Business has learned.
Hotels that participated in the first round of the audit initiative include: Viva Wyndham and Pelican Bay on Grand Bahama; Pink Sands, Tingum Village, Romora Bay and Valentines Resort and Marina on Harbour Island and Sandals, Wyndham Nassau Beach, Comfort Suites and the Paradise Island Harbour Resort on Nassau-Paradise Island.
The audits are being conducted under the auspices of the CHENACT project, a major program which the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and the Ministry of Tourism are undertaking with the support of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and the Caribbean Tourism Organization through support grants from the Inter-American Development Bank and other international donor agencies.
Noting that places still remain for hotels to get involved in the next phase of the project, which commences this fall, Frank Comito, BHTA executive vice president, said: "Participating hotels are providing room donations to help offset some of the estimated $3,000-$6,000 value of the audits and will receive detailed recommendations and be eligible for an upgrade grant through the project."
He added that by the end of the year, a minimum of an additional 20 detailed hotel audits will be undertaken throughout The Bahamas.
"The findings in their aggregate will be shared with all BHTA members to assist them with lowering energy costs."
The CHENACT project was launched in February 2013 with the aim of helping the small and medium sized hotels - hotels with fewer than 400 rooms - achieve better financial sustainability and promote energy conservation in their operations.
The ultimate goal will be to improve the competitiveness of small and medium sized hotels through improved use of energy, with the emphasis on Renewable Energy and Micro-Generation.
Additionally, there will be positive impacts to the environment in terms of reductions in greenhouse gases and ozone layer depletion if hotels are able to reduce their energy usage.
In a recent release, the BHTA noted that energy costs average 15 to 20 percent of a Bahamian resort's overall costs, a figure which cannot be sustained without a negative impact on competitiveness.

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