ITC Sonar has the distinction to become the first hotel in the world to obtain carbon credits for energy conservation initiatives such as waste heat recovery, improved pumping systems, and better efficiencies in the air conditioning system.
Carbon credit, which is also known as Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), is issued under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), of the Kyoto Protocol, by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC).
The Kolkata property was the pilot project for ITC’s hotel division to initiate some of their green practices. The hotel has sold 1884 tons of CER and earned credits of about Rs15 lakh, in 2007 alone.
“We looked at various aspects such as efficient management of demand and generation, energy efficiencies towards HVAC, hot water generation, and solar panels. These are
the areas where we have done pilot projects which have got qualified under CDM,” said Tarun Chattopadhyay, chief engineer, ITC Sonar, Kolkata.
He said their measures to attain energy efficiency have helped them to reduce the energy cost, apart from the CDM benefit to the tune of 2000 tones CERs; “This has also
added to the global strive towards energy conservation, making ITC Sonar a true corporate citizen in the global village”.
He said that everyone should go in for an energy audit with a good agency, to check and assess the efficiency, as well as wastage, if any.
Energy conservation initiatives
- Water harvesting
- Plantations
- Use of solar panels for heating water, and lighting a few areas
- Water conservation
- Use of power LED lights for non-critical applications
- Use of low E glass in the hotel
- 100% recycling of the sewer and affluent water
- Earning zero discharge status of the hotel
- Large water bodies and five acres of landscaping
- Inching towards 100% recycling of solid waste generation of the hotel
- Use the concept of the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle)
- Use of building management systems
- Use of non CFC based refrigerates in air conditioners, to protect the ozone layer
