Let's Have Some Energy-Efficient Pride, U.S. Hotels

As a patriotic citizen of these United States of America, I have some news to report. I don't want to. I have to. Here goes:

Hotels in Europe and Asia are kicking our energy-efficient butts. There, I said it. And, no, it doesn't make me feel good. I mean, what would Stephen Colbert say? I shudder to think.

According to this Justmeans.com blog, key-card energy management has been commonplace at hotels in Europe and Asia for years. Years!

This type of system links the different energy sources in a room (cooling, heating, lighting, etc.) to a key-card slot. When a guest leaves the room with the key card, the electricity powers down and the thermostat resets to whatever the hotel decides is ideal for unoccupied rooms. Then, when the guest returns and inserts the card, everything powers back up. This not only saves money, but it helps the environment, too.

The good news? We have the technology.

Companies such as RoomEnergy and DBS Lodging Technologies, with its Entergize system, are United States-based companies that offer key-card energy management systems. Some U.S. hotels are using this, but many more can.

If you've stayed at hotels that offer these systems, I'd be interested to hear what your experience was like.