Energy efficiency: Do the barriers matter? A case-study of hotels in Langkawi, Malaysia

The study investigated barriers and explored potential for demand side management options (DSM) for hotels in Malaysia. A primary survey of a few hotels carried out in Langkawi Island of Malaysia indicated high level of awareness in hotels on issue related to energy consumption. The hotels considered efficient air conditioning and lighting to be the very important measures for the hotels to save energy. However, this did not get translated significantly into adoption of energy efficient practices and measures. The investigation revealed existence of several barriers and scope for substantial improvement in efficiency of energy use. Maintenance problem with new technologies, lack of technical expertise, non-availability of implementing agency and high cost of efficient appliances emerged major barriers. Among the policy issues to address these barriers, technical assistance was considered most important. Financial incentive and availability of institutional mechanism such as energy service companies (ESCOs) were other important measures needed to implement various DSM options. Finally, review of current utility policy has been suggested for success of DSM measures.