Casinos (tribal and otherwise) are going green these days, and it’s not just in focusing on the color of money. Many are switching over to plans to help them save costs and energy, and they’re getting some help from the federal government. In several Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, the agency is offering tips on alternate lighting sources, such as retro-fitting slot machines with LEDs, and suggesting analysis of other lighting venues like outside signage, parking areas, hotel room lighting and night clubs, so more energy-efficient choices can be made.
According to the EPA, such changes can show a return on investment in as little as six months. And the savings can be significant. While lighting usage is somewhat different depending on the casino, the cost of utility bills for each one is a major expense line on an on-going basis. One internet source indicates the Monte Carlo casino in Las Vegas has an electric bill of $5 million per year, or $416,617 per month. Just replacing the LEDs could mean an 85 percent savings on slot machine energy usage, according to another source.
Some casinos are even being designed to maximize natural light. In the past, casinos were purposely built to create an atmosphere of perpetual daytime, or at minimum, to confuse guests by making it hard to know what time of day it was. While the newer casinos will save on energy by opening windows to sunlight during the day, they will still have to contend with the eventuality of night time, compounded with tourist expectations of the light show attributed only to places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
However, by consulting with the EPA’s Energy Star partnership, casinos–the newer ones as well as the existing ones–can create prudent strategies to achieve the goal of showmanship and practicality, while reducing energy usage, waste and expense. Other parts of the strategy include using green power (electricity supplemented by energy from wind and solar power) and CHP (combined heating and power).
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you create a transition plan to improve your energy usage and reduce your costs. We’re a member of the Green Chamber of Commerce and we’re also an Energy Star partner.