Currently, there are also positive prospects for the Austrian hotel industry for the summer after the successful new start. What was already apparent before the Corona break is now a fact – sustainability and responsible use of energy and water resources are a must for future success. Prime examples of this way of thinking are the Naturhotel Forsthofgut in Leogang and the Hotel Zeitgeist Vienna. The two hotels equipped their rooms with environmental technology from Austria and now save water, energy and operating costs thanks to the Ecoturbino system from the Rabmer Group.
With the long-awaited opening of hotels and guesthouses, the hotel industry is once again focusing on long-term goals. The challenge of creating a lasting incentive for customers at the lowest possible cost is well-known. What is new, however, is sustainability as the perfect intersection of these requirements. “More and more often, guests are decisively looking for hotels that focus on sustainable management and renewable energies,” says the Austrian Hoteliers’ Association[1]. Those who reduce their operating costs in a climate-friendly way can therefore expect more guests – a classic win-win situation that also benefits the environment.
“We identified a need for optimisation above all in the showers in the guest accommodations, which of course consume enormous amounts of water with over 200 rooms,” explains Christoph Schmuck, owner and managing director of the Naturhotel Forsthofgut, a five-star hotel in Leogang. “We were looking for ways to save water and thus also energy and operating costs, while not restricting the showering comfort of our guests. That’s when we came across the Ecoturbino from Rabmer.”
Less water, lower costs, good for the environment
The Ecoturbino, which is certified with the Austrian Eco-label, is installed directly in the shower as a connecting piece between the fitting and the shower hose. In the Ecoturbino, the water flow is reduced by around 40 percent, additionally mixed with air and strongly swirled. This massively increases the flow rate, which means that the person taking a shower does not notice the reduced water volume and the shower comfort is maintained to the full extent. Hotels also benefit from the extremely short amortisation period of the Ecoturbinos, which is only a few months. Furthermore, the environment also benefits, because less hot water consumption means less CO2 emissions!
The technology from Upper Austria is very well received at the Naturhotel Forsthofgut – both by the guests and the owner: “Even in the low season, we reduce our operating costs enormously with the Ecoturbinos. I am particularly pleased that we are not only saving money but also protecting the environment,” says Christoph Schmuck. Around 220 Ecoturbinos are in use at the Naturhotel Forsthofgut, saving about 1.2 million litres of water and 50,000 kWh of energy per year, which results in a cost reduction of about 7,500 Euros.
Test runs show individual potential
In the meantime, 84 overhead showers have also been retrofitted with the Ecoturbino system at Hotel Zeitgeist Vienna. Every year, the hotel saves about one million litres of water, about 40,000 kWh of energy and 6,500 Euros in operating costs.
“Conventional economy shower heads have the problem that the reduction of water is always associated with a loss of comfort, which we do not want to and cannot expect of our guests. That’s why we were very interested in the Rabmer concept right from the start. We tested the Ecoturbino in ten rooms for several weeks and received no negative guest feedback. This in combination with the great savings convinced us, as did the great support of the Rabmer company,” says Maintenance Manager Ing. Christian Janda.
“We offer the hotels free test runs so that they can convince themselves of the advantages of our technology,” explains Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, Managing Director of the Rabmer Group. “This way, we can not only check on site how much water, energy and costs the respective hotel can save by using the Ecoturbino across the board – the operators also see right away that the satisfaction of their guests does not suffer in any way from the water-saving measures.”
[1] Sustainability in the hotel industry (oehv.at)
