LEAD Program Launches Partnership with Chiang Mai Hospitality Sector

Chiang Mai, Thailand, March 13, 2015 - The USAID Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) Program has officially launched a collaborative effort with the Chiang Mai Municipality, the Thai Hotel Association, the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, and Chiang Mai University’s Energy Research and Development Institute (ERDI) to improve energy efficiency within Thailand’s hospitality sector. The Hotel Energy Efficiency Initiative (HEEI) will work to develop measurement standards and energy reduction techniques that can be implemented among the many resort hotels of Chiang Mai, furthering green growth and low emission strategies throughout the region. Members of the initiative gathered March 13, 2015, in Chiang Mai to hold an agreement signing ceremony and the inaugural meeting of the Hotel Energy Efficiency Initiative Committee (HEEIC). The Committee will serve to lead the initiative, coordinating members involved and guuding progress through completion.
 
The hospitality sector is a critical economic motor in Chiang Mai. There are more than 300 hotels operating in the municipality, which receives more than six million tourists each year. For hotels in Chiang Mai, up to 10 percent of overall operational costs are attributable to power (e.g., electricity, gas, steam). Helping the hospitality sector cut down on energy use and power costs, while taking advantage of the demand for “green hotels,” is seen by members of the HEEIC as a critical step for long-term economic and environmental impact.
 
With technical support provided by the USAID LEAD Program, the Chiang Mai Municipality and ERDI will provide staff time and organizational support to work side by side hotels, analyzing participants’ energy use and developing benchmarks that will help hotels compare energy use with peers and inform decisions on potential energy efficiency improvements. The Chiang Mai-based HEEI aims to become a regional model for how hotels in one city can engage together constructively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It will help to develop and promote the deployment of greenhouse gas protocols and tools throughout the region. This will include working to develop measurement standards and energy reduction techniques that can be implemented among the many resort hotels of Chiang Mai, to provide ‘lessons learned’ that can be applied more broadly in other Asian countries. This will further green growth and low emission development strategies in the region.
 
See More:

• View photos from the Inaugural Meeting and Agreement Signing Ceremony
• See footage from LannaLive's coverage of the event