How to compare hotel consumption fairly

At the group meeting, one hotel shows an electricity bill of €12,000 and another €8,000. Deciding which needs attention seems straightforward. But the questions that could change that conclusion are missing: how many room nights did each sell, what services do they provide, which period does each bill cover and what do they pay for energy?

Comparing hotel consumption helps you choose where to investigate and which practices might be worth sharing. For it to work, the comparison needs to explain its limits. A ranking based only on spending can confuse size, tariffs and activity with efficiency. This approach helps you prepare a more useful conversation between management, operations and maintenance.

1. Separate spending, consumption and intensity

Spending tells you how much you pay. Consumption tells you how much energy or water you use. Intensity relates consumption to a measure of activity or size. These are complementary views: a lower tariff can improve spending without changing how the building operates.

• Spending during the period: useful for budget control, with clearly defined items and dates.
• Electricity and gas kWh, recorded separately: show each supply without hiding shifts between energy sources.
• kWh per occupied room night: relate consumption to the number of room nights actually occupied.
• Litres per guest night: provide another perspective when the number of people per room changes.

Always use the same definition. One hundred rooms available for thirty days do not equal 3,000 occupied room nights if some rooms were empty. Nor should monthly consumption be divided by annual occupancy. The unit and the period must match across all hotels.

Learn how to calculate water consumption per guest night

2. Do the calculation before drawing conclusions

Hypothetical example: hotel A consumes 60,000 kWh of electricity and records 2,000 occupied room nights in one month. Hotel B consumes 45,000 kWh and records 1,000. A shows 30 kWh per occupied room night; B shows 45. The hotel consuming less overall has the higher electricity intensity in this example.

We still do not know which operates better. A might have a small restaurant while B has a kitchen serving events. Some consumption continues even when rooms are empty, so lower occupancy can also increase the ratio. The calculation opens a question; it does not prove inefficiency by itself.

3. Build groups with a shared context

Before comparing, prepare a short profile for each property. Include location, size, opening calendar and services. An urban hotel without a pool and a resort with a spa are unlikely to tell the same story through a single indicator.

• Climate and season: compare similar periods and consider heating and cooling needs.
• Services: identify pools, spas, restaurants, events and whether laundry is handled on site or elsewhere.
• Measurement boundary: check which buildings and activities each supply includes.
• Data quality: flag estimated readings, missing months, partial closures and meter changes.

It also helps to compare each hotel with itself over time. Attributing a saving to an action requires a reference that considers the relevant variables; dividing by occupancy does not automatically correct for weather or changes in services.

4. Choose the next investigation, not a winner

Suppose B still shows high intensity after checking the data and comparing it with hotels offering similar services. The next step is to ask what explains it: operating schedules, equipment, areas in use or activity not captured by occupancy. Choose a hypothesis and check it with the team before proposing an investment.

Do not turn the difference from hotel A into a savings promise. A gap of 15 kWh per occupied room night does not mean all that energy can be eliminated. Service or building differences may remain outside the comparison.

The practical decision should record three things: what will be reviewed, who will do it and which data will help assess the result. That turns analysis into an action whose outcome can be checked, giving the next management meeting something concrete to review.

5. Use Noola as a starting point

Noola combines bills with information about the hotel to identify opportunities and prioritise potential improvements. The Noola A-G rating is its own percentile against comparable properties; it is not an official energy performance certificate. As described on the landing page, the rating requires twelve months of electricity data and data from comparable hotels.

You can start the analysis with the bills available and complete the history later. If you manage several properties, use the landing page's group enquiry form to speak with the team. The aim is to turn each hotel's data into concrete decisions, with an explanation of what is being compared and what still needs checking.