Vail Resorts Extraordinary Resorts, Exceptional Experiences

The Energy Sustainability Services program provides a phased approach for maximizing savings through no-cost/low-cost measures and capital improvement projects.

Company

• $1.17 Billion Revenue (2011)
• 15,000 Employees

Project At A Glance

• $234,887 Annual Savings
• 12% Energy Cost Reduction

The Challenge

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The company was looking for a mechanical partner to provide expertise and sophisticated energy management for several major properties in Colorado. Specifically, Vail Resorts was looking for a company who had the experience and resources to review and audit their HVAC systems and implement an energy services program to save at least $80,000 per year in energy costs, lowering their total cost of operations, providing better performance for their system and a more comfortable environment for their guests.

The Solution

Vail Resorts Hospitality partnered with Tolin Mechanical (a Service Logic company) for an Energy Sustainability Services program that provides a phased approach for maximizing savings through no-cost/ low-cost measures and capital improvement projects. This program includes ongoing measurement and verification of energy savings measures to ensure savings over time and to provide full accountability for the ESS program.

Tolin Mechanical’s energy engineers and Certified Energy Managers immediately set out to audit and analyze the performance of each property in the agreement: The Arrabelle at Vail Square and The Lodge at Vail in Vail; The Keystone Conference Center and The Keystone Lodge & Spa in Keystone. Poring over energy consumption data, reviewing system controls, and recording equipment operation provided Tolin’s engineering staff with a large foundation of data to outline an implementation plan and develop customized recommendations for the facilities. The program provided efficiency analysis, consultation and energy sustainability services in order to continually optimize building performance. During the program, Tolin Mechanical also educated resort staff and building engineers on operational savings measures and supervised the implementation of the energy saving measures.

Tolin identified and implemented some automation and controls upgrades which returned substantial savings. They also found major savings in a few strategic areas, including revised chilled water setpoints through precise recalculations and optimized operational settings for several components. The recalculated chilled water setpoints alone save the facility $72,000 annually.

The program guaranteed annual energy savings of $80,000. Tolin exceeded this energy savings goal by an additional 193%, for total first-year savings of $234,887! This figure is over 12% of the total energy expenses. The savings will continue to accumulate each year and will even grow as additional measures are implemented, helping Vail Resorts improve their bottom line through reduced operational costs.

About The Client

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone Mountain resorts in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

How Can We Help Your Business Grow? 

Established in 1948 in Denver, Colorado, Tolin Mechanical (a Service Logic company) initially focused on mechanical refrigeration construction and services. Over the years, our offerings have grown into a full suite of services related to technical, mechanical and energy systems. Tolin also geographically developed in an effort to more effectively serve our clients. First in Colorado, with offices in Fort Collins, Silverthorne, and Colorado Springs. Later, at the request of clients that enjoyed the service experience in Colorado, we opened offices in Phoenix, Arizona, and Washington D.C.