Uncompromising response to the call for sustainability in tourism
The innovative and multi-award-winning ecowaterjet® technology from the Rabmer Group - a Climate Alliance company, holder of the Austrian Federal Ecolabel and member of the globally active Sustainable Hospitality Alliance - based in Altenberg near Linz, Austria, successfully demonstrates that vacation enjoyment and careful use of the precious resources of water and energy are not mutuallyexclusive. Its ingenious mini-turbine for showers saves up to 50 percent water and energy while providing full comfort and making the hotel industry fit for new EU directives.
The seemingly endless summer has broken all records. The persistently high temperatures and long dry spells made the hearts of holidaymakers and tourism businesses beat faster in equal measure. At 72.3 million overnight stays, the 2023 summer season is 3.9 percent up on the previous year. The forecasts for this year's winter season are also extremely positive. The Austrian National Tourist Office is expecting an increase of three million more tourists compared to the previous year. As pleasing as this fact may sound, it has a huge impact on the environment.
The call for more sustainability in tourism is getting louder and louder. The resource of water is particularly affected by this, as the hotel industry consumes immense quantities of it every day. At 290 liters per person per day, the average water consumption in hotels is more than twice as high as the average per capita consumption in a household. This is mostly hot water, which requires enormous amounts of energy to produce, which not only drives up prices in an already high inflationary environment, but also emits enormous amounts ofCO2. While people often pay attention to the careful use of water at home, the situation is usually quite different on vacation, as hardly anyone wants to miss out on a long, hot shower, a visit to the wellness area or a soothing spa treatment after a wonderful day of skiing.
(Taxonomy-compliant) solutions are in demand
Fast solutions with minimal investment and maximum output are therefore required that also comply with the EU Taxonomy Regulation. The stricter requirements of the ESG and the EU taxonomy based on it have been in force since the beginning of 2022 - reporting obligations included. If we take the EU taxonomy's environmental goal of protecting water as a resource, a maximum water flow rate of eight liters per minute is prescribed for showers, and only six liters for taps at hand basins. Companies are now faced with the challenge of meeting these requirements. On average, around twelve liters of water per minute flow from a conventional shower head, and around nine liters from an energy-saving shower head that is already frequently used. "This already saves a lot of water. However, the target of a maximum of eight liters is still not being met, because shower comfort decreases as the flow rate decreases and guest complaints increase accordingly," explains Ulrike Rabmer-Koller.
The Rabmer Group has tackled precisely this problem and offers an innovative solution with its ecowaterjet® water and energy-saving system. "The ecowaterjet® can be easily screwed in between the tap and the shower hose and reduces water consumption to up to six liters per minute while maintaining full showering comfort," says Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, convinced of her company's TÜV-certified and eco-labelled solution. The fact that guests don't even notice the installation of the water-saving solution has been confirmed to the company by popular ski hotels such as the Forsthofgut in Leogang, the Stanglwirt in the Kitzbühel Alps and the Dachsteinkönig in the inner Salzkammergut.
No compromises for guests and the environment
The trick is that the ecowaterjet® generates a highly turbulent mixture of water and air inside, which saves up to fifty percent water and energy and therefore also costs, without compromising the intensity of the shower jet or the showering experience. The entire shower head does not have to be replaced, as is the case when switching to energy-saving shower heads. "This means that our water-saving system also saves enormous amounts of waste," explains the Managing Director, who also pays attention to sustainability in her own company. Another advantage of the small but effective mini turbine: the strong water turbulence reduces limescale deposits in the shower head. Regular removal or cleaning of the mini turbine is not necessary. Hygiene is also improved, as germs can no longer build up in the shower hose or shower head with regular use.
Enormous savings potential for the hotel industry
The Rabmer Group's innovative ecowaterjet® technology offers enormous savings potential for the environment and the budget. "By installing our water and energy-saving system in 160 showers, the Hotel Dachsteinkönig saves 42 percent hot water every year, which in concrete figures means Five million liters of water and 201,000 kilowatt hours of energy as well as over 3.4 tons of CO2," Rabmer-Koller gives a concrete example. The investment has already paid for itself for the Dachsteinkönig after just four months.
The collective power of tourism
The Rabmer Group not only develops pioneering innovations in the field of environmental technology at a national level. Since 2022, it has been a member of the international Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, which has set itself the goal of developing industry-wide measures to achieve the "Net Positive Hospitality Path" (positive environmental balance in the hotel industry). Only recently, the founding of the Net Positive Hospitality Academy and the introduction of the Net Positive Hospitality Simulator for hotel owners and their employees were decided at the summit in London. With solutions such as the ecowaterjet®, Rabmer is making a significant contribution to achieving the "Net Positive Hospitality Path" - and more are already in the pipeline.
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