USAID Caribbean Clean Energy Program And CHTA Forge Collaborative Partnership To Bolster Energy Efficiency In The Caribbean Hotel Sector

New tools to measure energy efficiency are coming to the Caribbean via a partnership between USAID Caribbean Clean Energy Program (CARCEP) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA). An agreement signed at the Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) will be used to take action on energy efficiency policy, research and development, and training in the region’s hotel and tourism sector. Beneficiary countries are those within the CARCEP regional mandate. Hotel owners will be equipped with access to technical tools, training and other resources to help them adopt energy efficiency best-practices to reduce energy consumption. Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the agreement is part of a commitment by CHTA to provide program-specific support to industry and public-sector stakeholders. Already developed is a benchmarking tool that will allow hotel owners and managers to compare their energy consumption to other similar businesses in the area. Approximately 2,500 hotels can profit from this initiative. The project’s success is expected to have wide-reaching economic benefits for the region; reducing fossil fuel consumption, measuring water usage and electricity consumption will provide the recipient countries with a great deal of information to form best-practices going forward. Housed on CHTA’s website, the tool can highlight abnormal energy and water demands and unearth opportunities for savings and investments. Following implementation of the benchmarking tool, the next step is to roll out USAID CARCEP’s training program in each beneficiary country. The first is scheduled to take place in Jamaica in November 2016. Visit CHTA’s website at www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or contact John Marcocchio via email at jmarcocchio@carcep.org for info.

http://www.caribbean360.com/business/usaid-caribbean-clean-energy-program-chta-forge-collaborative-partnership-bolster-energy-efficiency-caribbeans-hotel-sector