Guide to mastering the 'energy management' aspect of the Green Key label

Achieving Green Key certification demonstrates that your establishment makes energy management a concrete priority. We've delved into the section “Energy Management” for you; some Green Key criteria can be satisfied with manual control, while other "recommended" criteria allow you to gain precision through an automated BMS. This article guides you step-by-step, criterion by criterion, to manage your consumption, control your HVAC, optimize lighting, and focus on green energy… all while preparing the ground for Green Key certification. You can find the official details of the criteria in the Green Key criteria guide.

1. Managing your consumption: data and routines

To meet the “Resource Management” criterion, start with rigorous monthly monitoring: record your electricity and gas meter readings in a file (Excel or paper notebook) and analyze them. This simple step will already allow you to fulfill the “mandatory” criterion of this section. You can also display a reading schedule near the meters, and don't hesitate to schedule an automated reminder (email or Slack) to ensure the routine is reliable.

If you want to go further, equip yourself with a monitoring solution: it collects your readings in real-time, automatically generates your reports, segments your consumption (spa, accommodation, catering), and alerts you as soon as a critical threshold is reached. Your centralized dashboard then becomes the ideal tool for your Green Key audits, with an energy ROI often observed in less than 12 months.

2. Managing heating, air conditioning, and ventilation

Green Key imposes three key criteria: automatic control of HVAC system activation/deactivation times (No. 37, mandatory), shut-off in case of open windows (No. 38, recommended), and temperature limitation according to use (No. 39, mandatory). In practice, start by drafting a clear procedure: specify the occupancy time slots for a space (e.g., 6 AM–9 AM and 5 PM–10 PM) and set temperatures at 19 °C during the day, 17 °C at night. These instructions are displayed near thermostats, and an “HVAC manager” is designated to manually check these settings.

For a large volume, it's better to centralize these rules. The idea is to have scenarios such as “reserved room → heating on” or “vacant room → heating off” – which execute based on occupancy or other more advanced rules dependent on weather or room inertia. Every action is logged, ensuring your compliance with the BACS decree without additional operational effort.

3. Maintaining and renewing your equipment

The Green Key also requires a precise maintenance plan: a schedule (digital or paper) listing your interventions, invoices, and revision reports. Each appliance (fridges, freezers, hoods) should have a label indicating the date of the last and next revision. In parallel, train your teams in maintenance tasks (filter cleaning, defrosting), and prioritize the purchase of energy-efficient appliances (A++ class). To go further, consider integrating heat recovery systems or removing in-room mini-bars, which significantly impact energy bills.

4. Optimize lighting

All lighting-related criteria are mandatory: elimination of halogens, replacement of 75% of bulbs with LEDs, indoor regulation, and outdoor shutdown when not needed. After listing your luminaires to be replaced, track the progress of your LED transition on a shared document. To avoid oversights, install timers or motion detectors in low-traffic areas (restrooms, corridors). You can also deploy an adaptive scenario via SCorp-io : your platform activates or deactivates lighting based on occupancy, time, and natural light.

5. Embrace green energy

While Green Key only makes it optional, purchasing or producing renewable energy strengthens your commitment. Choose a "100% green" electricity supplier, display a simple infographic showing your share of renewable energy consumed, and if possible, install photovoltaic panels on your roof. Communicate these initiatives through a dedicated page on your website or via a "Green Energy" section in your newsletter.

You now have all the keys to success

For smaller budgets and buildings, the Green Key label ensures that rigorous and well-organized manual management can meet HVAC-related criteria at a lower cost. Congratulations to the Green Key teams for taking on this challenge! 😊

To lighten this load and ensure seamless monitoring, we strongly recommend a solution like SCorp-io which will allow you to:

• Automation of everything related to regulation (consumption, HVAC, lighting).
• A rapid energy ROI, often observed in less than 12 months.
• Multi-site scalability, essential for multi-site owners and hotel chains.

SCorp-io quickly becomes indispensable for automatically controlling your equipment and centralizing the management of multiple sites. For those who don't yet have the necessary investment, kudos again to Green Key for making this approach achievable, but a reduced cost comes at the price of manual effort. To discover how to adapt a custom BMS to your establishment, consult our dedicated article: Custom Hotel BMS.

Request your demo and a free audit of your hotel, and turn your energy management into a competitive advantage.