They’ve found the key to saving energy
This chip tells controls at Sleeping Lady Resort that guests have arrived so it's time to adjust the thermostat and turn on the lights.
The operators of Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth believe they may have found a key to saving energy. Actually, 40 keys.
In April, 40 of the resort’s 58 guest rooms were outfitted with the Entergize key fob system. When guests enter these rooms, they insert a small chip attached to their room keys into a special light switch. This sends a signal to the upper half of the rooms’ electric receptacles and thermostats, putting them in the “occupied” mode. Some of the lights go on and heat or air conditioning comes on to pre-programmed settings. When guests leave their rooms they remove the key and fob from the control switch, which causes the lights to go off and the heating and cooling system to drop into the “unoccupied” energy-saving mode.
Ken Erikson, maintenance technician at Sleeping Lady, said the goal is to automate energy savings. Guests don’t mean to waste energy, he said, but it happens. For example, a couple out for a winter walk might crank the heat way up when they return to their room, then leave for dinner and forget to turn it down. With the new system, setback will occur automatically.
A majority of rooms at Sleeping Lady have been outfitted with energy-saving setback systems.
Entergize claims energy use in guest rooms can drop by up to 45 percent, but Erikson isn’t expecting savings that dramatic. Sleeping Lady has no TVs, so the resort can’t be compared to hotels where TVs, even in standby mode, are using power. Erikson said Sleeping Lady’s goal is to save energy over the long term.
Greg Felix, Entergize contractor who installed Sleeping Lady’s system, said he’s done work all over the country, including at actor Ed Begley’s home. The company’s work was featured on a History Channel Modern Marvels episode that focused on ways to reduce phantom load — the energy drain caused by cell phone chargers, TVs and other appliances that are left plugged in and continue to draw power. You can watch that show here.
