Advantage Utilities explains how hotels and hospitality businesses can combine energy procurement, monitoring and practical efficiency improvements to control costs while protecting comfort, service and design.
An empty hotel room generates no room revenue, but it can still consume energy. Heating, cooling and shared building services may continue operating even when occupancy falls.
For hotels, restaurants, bars and leisure venues, reducing energy costs starts with understanding what the business needs, where energy may be wasted and whether purchasing arrangements suit its operations.
Advantage Utilities, a UK commercial energy consultancy, helps hospitality businesses bring these decisions together.
A winner of Consultancy of the Year – Large Customers at the TELCA Awards, the company supports businesses through an approach built around three principles: Assess. Optimise. Manage.
Understand what drives hotel energy consumption
Heating, hot water, air conditioning, kitchens, laundry and leisure facilities all contribute to a hotel’s energy requirements. However, a monthly bill rarely explains which activities are driving consumption.
Reviewing energy use alongside occupancy, weather and operating hours can reveal whether demand reflects how the property is being used.
Does bedroom heating respond when rooms are empty? Are meeting spaces conditioned outside their booked hours? What equipment remains running after kitchens and leisure facilities close?
Energy consumption analysis and reporting can help operators investigate these questions and establish a baseline against which improvements can be measured.
For hospitality groups, multi-site energy management provides visibility across a portfolio. Comparisons should account for differences in property size, facilities and trading patterns so that operators can identify meaningful opportunities.
Match energy procurement to business requirements
A competitive unit rate matters, but the right contract also depends on consumption patterns, budget requirements, contract terms and appetite for risk.
An independent hotel seeking greater cost certainty may have different priorities from a group managing seasonal demand and several renewal dates.
A considered business energy procurement strategy assesses these requirements together, including planned changes that could affect future consumption.
Timing also matters. Reviewing options before a contract approaches expiry creates more time to evaluate alternatives. Access to energy market insights and reports helps businesses understand market developments and discuss their implications with an adviser.
Energy risk management connects these purchasing decisions with the business’s ability to absorb changes in cost.
Turn energy audits into practical improvements
An energy audit helps translate consumption data and site observations into a prioritised improvement plan.
A business energy audit can review heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, lighting, equipment and controls to identify opportunities suited to the property.
Some improvements may involve changing operating schedules or addressing maintenance issues. Others may be best incorporated into a planned refurbishment.
For hospitality designers, this creates an opportunity to consider energy performance alongside aesthetics. Equipment selection, zoning and intuitive controls influence how efficiently a completed space operates.
For example, commercial LED lighting should be assessed alongside colour quality, dimming compatibility and the atmosphere required in bedrooms, restaurants and shared spaces.
For the Tom Kerridge Group, including The Hand & Flowers, a multi-site audit identified potential annual energy savings of 269,739 kWh. At the contract prices used in the assessment, these opportunities represented £51,175 in potential first-year savings.
Recommendations covered areas including lighting, air conditioning and refrigeration efficiency, giving the group a practical basis for prioritising improvements.
Check that energy bills reflect the agreed charges
Controlling expenditure also means checking the accuracy of what a business is charged.
Across a hospitality portfolio, multiple meters, suppliers and contract dates can make billing difficult to oversee. Errors or inconsistencies may be less obvious when invoices are reviewed individually.
Energy bureau services and bill validation help operators check invoices and investigate discrepancies.
This complements procurement and efficiency work by connecting what the business buys, what it consumes and what it pays.
Assess solar panels, battery storage and EV charging together
Investment in energy technology should reflect the property’s operational needs, physical constraints and financial objectives.
Solar panel installation for hotels needs to account for roof suitability, electricity demand, visual impact and installation around guests. The financial case should consider how much generation the property can use on site, alongside installation and maintenance costs.
Commercial battery storage can store electricity for later use. Its suitability depends on consumption patterns, tariffs, available generation, system losses and the costs of installing and operating the equipment.
EV charging for hospitality businesses can provide a useful guest amenity while introducing additional electricity demand. Charging provision should be planned around parking arrangements, site capacity and other building services.
These options should form part of a practical energy and carbon-reduction strategy, with each measure assessed on its suitability and expected return.
Combine energy performance with hospitality design
At five-star Grantley Hall, Advantage Utilities reports that a tailored risk management strategy delivered a 33.18% reduction in energy costs, equivalent to £500,008.
Its work with the hotel also included a discreet 32kW solar installation designed to complement the property’s aesthetic, alongside energy monitoring.
The example illustrates how purchasing decisions and building improvements can contribute to a wider energy plan. It also highlights the importance of considering visual impact, installation disruption and guest comfort alongside financial performance.
For hotels investing in their buildings, energy planning belongs in the conversation early enough to influence design and specification.
Keep hotel energy management under review
Energy requirements change as occupancy, equipment, tariffs and operating patterns evolve.
Real-time utilities monitoring through Advantage Analytics provides visibility of usage and helps identify patterns requiring investigation.
Tracking consumption alongside expenditure also helps distinguish the effect of efficiency improvements from changes in energy prices.
Advantage Utilities brings these activities together through its hotel energy consultancy services:
Assess: Understand how energy is purchased and used.
Optimise: Identify improvements that make practical and financial sense.
Manage: Monitor performance and adapt as business requirements change.
For hospitality operators, this creates a more informed approach to energy expenditure—one that considers the building, the business and the guest experience together.
Contact Advantage Utilities to discuss your hospitality business’s energy requirements
