Hilton Garden Inn Central Park South - Lobby
Hilton Garden Inn Central Park South - Lobby

Lobby of Hilton Garden Inn New York/Central Park South-Midtown West

Hilton Garden Inn Taps into Utility Rebates to Turn Midtown Hotel into Virtual Power Plant

Hilton Garden Inn Taps into Utility Rebates to Turn Midtown Hotel into Virtual Power Plant

Hilton Garden Inn Taps into Utility Rebates to Turn Midtown Hotel into Virtual Power Plant

In partnership with The Moinian Group

In partnership with The Moinian Group

Hilton Garden Inn & The Moinian Group

New York, NY

Hotel

Project cost

$204,510

Project ROI

1.85 yrs

ConEd rebate

$93,222

Annual electricity savings

101,000 kWh

Annual electricity savings ($)

$27,270

Annual gas savings

15,860 therms

Annual gas savings ($)

$23,790

Est. CO² reduction

309 metric tons

Est. demand response revenue YTD

$9,000

New value

$50,000

Logical Buildings involvement

Smart thermostat installation and rebate management; Tracking hourly energy usage; Managing carbon emissions; Lowering utility costs; Understanding occupancy and optimizing usage

In 2024, Hilton Garden Inn Central Park South worked with Logical Buildings to install over 400 smart thermostats in guest rooms to optimize energy usage and contribute to a more sustainable guest experience.  The cloud-connected smart thermostats were integrated into Logical Buildings central platform, SmartKit AI, allowing the hotel to monitor energy usage, implement occupancy-based schedules, and derive valuable insights through real time analytics.

During summer 2024, the hotel used the thermostats central platform to pre-cool and set back all thermostats simultaneously, reducing over ~75kW of demand, enabling the hotel to act as a virtual power plant during utility called Demand Response events. By making these small set point adjustments, which guests are always able to override, the hotel has the potential to generate an estimated $15,000 in revenue

Energy reductions during July 2024 Demand Response events (7/15 – 7/17, 2pm - 6pm) can be seen in the buildings heatmap below.  

Heatmap of hotel's electricity reduction during demand response event

Utility rebates were instrumental in bringing this project to fruition, providing subsidies of over $90,000 towards the total project cost of $205,000. These rebates helped offset installation, initial equipment costs, and software fees, allowing ownership to maximize their return on investment.  

This project not only highlights the positive impact of energy saving technologies to reduce carbon emissions, but also demonstrates how these upgrades can provide financial benefits through operational efficiency and participation in utility programs. 


If you’re interested in smart thermostat upgrades for your property, send us a message!