South Portland, ME The South Portland Doubletree by Hilton received a $28,144.48 Efficiency Maine incentive for upgrades to its pool ventilation by engineering firm W.H. Demmons, Inc., of Portland, Maine.

The Doubletree hired W.H. Demmons to design and install a new, energy-efficient heating and ventilation system in the hotel’s 30-year old pool. W.H. Demmons sales engineer, Dan Legere, designed a system that improves air quality, reduces condensation, humidity and energy costs for the hotel.

“Pools provide a challenge in designing a cost-effective solution that improves air quality,” said Doug Martin, W.H. Demmons’ president. “But Dan created an approach here which yields higher energy savings and also offsets the cost with efficiency incentives.”  

Electricity savings of $13,000 per year combined with the incentive will pay for the system in two years. The new system also improves air quality by reducing both humidity and contaminants.

“Our guest satisfaction scores have gone up since the installation. We’re seeing more consistent temperature and humidity than in the past,” said hotel general manager Michael Towles. “I’ve already seen a reduction in our electricity usage and I expect over the course of the year to see that continue. That along with the fact that our guests are much happier with the environment makes this a big win-win.”

The project created minimal interruption to the hotel’s operations by keeping installation to a two-week window.