St. Augustine Hilton Designed with HVAC System
PowerCold Corporation reported the opening of the new Hilton Hotel, St.
Augustine Historic Bayfront, a 72-room hotel located in St. Augustine, FL.
The facility is the first mid-rise Hilton Hotel fitted with PowerCold’s
proprietary environmental HVAC system and DuPont Caltrel(R) plastic heat
exchangers. The new system controls moisture and provides clean, fresh air
throughout the hotel including the guest rooms and public areas. The
system is expected to operate with utility costs 50% below the standard
systems installed in other mid-rise hotels with a return on investment in
less than two years. The premiere full-service hotel is a “hollow-square” design consisting of
19 separate buildings set around an inner courtyard and connected by an
interior corridor. The facility features wooden balconies, cedar shake and
tile roofs and different elevations and color schemes. This unique design
reflects the owner’s desire to recreate the look and feel of St.
Augustine’s Spanish Colonial Period.
Hilton Owner Kanti Patel commented, “The Hilton’s unique Spanish Colonial
design embodies the history of St. Augustine and its status as ‘America’s
Oldest City.’ PowerCold’s central HVAC system met the City’s stringent
design and construction requirements, and was specifically chosen because
it eliminates the noisy, cumbersome through-the-wall units that detract
from the look, charm and feel of the Hilton’s architectural design. The
system is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, and it provides
the highest level of comfort for our guests. PowerCold was instrumental in
creating a comfortable ambience that makes this hotel truly a home away
from home, especially for travelers who require extended stay
accommodations.”
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Energy Conservation
Assistance Program (ECAP) will conduct a site survey and energy audit of
the hotel. The ECAP program will continually monitor the facility to
record energy usage and determine cost savings. PowerCold is working with
the Florida ECAP program to conduct energy audits for the hospitality
industry and assist owners and developers seeking certification in
Florida’s Green Lodging Program.
The Green Lodging Program, created to assist Florida’s hospitality
industry with reducing energy costs and conserving natural resources,
recognizes lodging facilities that meet environmental guidelines to
conserve resources and prevent pollution. The Green Lodging Program will
help owners recognize and implement energy-efficient technologies, and
provides one-on-one consulting, financing opportunities for retrofits, and
advice on HVAC system and equipment maintenance.
Robert Yoho, PowerCold ComfortAir Solutions President, commented, “The St.
Augustine Hilton is another example proving the PowerCold patented HVAC
system can be installed in any hotel, office complex, or
institutional-type building, regardless of the building’s age or
structural design. The PowerCold(R) system works perfectly to control
moisture in guest rooms and all public areas, despite the unique design of
the St. Augustine hotel, which conforms to the Spanish Colonial Period. At
the same time the system reduces building power and maintenance costs. The
PowerCold(R) system surely is tomorrow’s technology today. In the future
PowerCold will be involved in more Green Building projects as our nation
moves toward a cleaner and healthier environment and looks for ways to
reduce the energy requirements needed to fuel the systems.”
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Yoho further commented, “PowerCold recently attended the 2005 Hilton Focus
Service Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV. We showed our
proprietary HVAC system and our new all plastic fluid cooler, which
generated great interest and many new prospects from Hilton franchisee
owners.”
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