Reno's Peppermill Resort Spa and Casino has earned the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star certification for energy performance. A big part of that is due to the resort's onsite geothermal plant. It taps into the resources underneath the property.
"We take the geothermal out of the ground, we pump it to here we exchange the heat into a water source that we can circulate through the building," said John Kassai, Central Plant Manager for the Peppermill. "Then we take the geothermal, put it back in the ground across the property and we use the hot water and circulate it throughout the whole property."
They use it to heat the buildings, the pools, and the parking ramps in the winter.
"As far as I know we're the largest single use geothermal provider in the nation," Kassai said.
And they've taken other steps to reduce their carbon footprint throughout the property.
"We have LED lights in the parking lots and throughout the casino we use variable frequency drives on all the motors, which keep them very energy efficient," Kassai said. "And there's other recycling projects we do on property."
The resort has partnered with the city for their ReEnergize Reno initiative, committed to helping Reno reach a 2025 goal to reduce climate pollution.
"We're not 100 percent paperless, but moving it to about 80%," said Stephen Ascuaga, Corporate Director of Business Development. "There are a lot of little things that all add up over time; different water saving methods through our laundry service, LED lights, landscaping."
Ascuaga says as technology changes, these discussions and initiatives will continue to evolve.
"It's something we're going to keep pushing," Ascuaga said. "We were doing it without the recognition of Energy Star before. This kind of quantifies it for us and gives us some measuring tools going forward. We're committed to it in the long term and looking forward to doing other programs moving forward."
The Peppermill's energy score puts it in the top 10 percent of hotels in the country.
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