May 2025 – Lithuanian Energy Scouts propose a photovoltaic system and HVAC optimization at Vilnius’s Hilton Hotel

The first Hilton hotel in Lithuania opened its doors in Vilnius in 2019. The 4-star hotel features 164 guest rooms, an open lobby, a 160 sqm conference area, an 80-seat restaurant, a bar and a rooftop with views of Vilnius city’s skyline. The underground garage offers electric vehicle charging stations.

Hilton‘s Energy Scouts Donatas Jančauskas and Edgaras Jankus came up with a promising approach to enhance energy usage at the Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre hotel. After a thorough assessment of the energy usage, they noticed that there was a lot of unused space on the hotel roof, which is suitable for installing photovoltaic panels. This presented an opportunity to harness renewable solar energy for generating electricity, thereby reducing dependence on external sources of energy.

In addittion, they identified several areas within the property where energy could be saved by optimization. For example, housekeepers often left the air conditioning units on in unoccupied rooms, and the heating or cooling systems in conference rooms were frequently left on whilst not in use. Through the collection and analysis of data via a smart energy management system, the Energy Scouts were able to measure the savings potential, control it and finally reduce energy waste.

The Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre hotel consumes approximately 890 MWh of electricity annually. A reliance on external electricity not only results in high operational costs, but also contributes to the facility’s carbon footprint. Inefficiencies in heating and electricity usage potentially increase energy waste and environmental impact. Therefore, an overarching goal of their project is to enhance the sustainability and energy efficiency of Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre hotel by implementing two major initiatives.

1. Installation of a Photovoltaic System:
   A total of 106 solar panels with a combined peak power of 47.7 kWp will be installed on the roof, utilizing the unused space. These panels are estimated to produce around 43.2 MWh of renewable energy annually. This will reduce CO₂ emissions by 4.41 tons per year and lower the electricity costs by an estimated 8,200 € annually. An upfront investment of 22,000 € will be required for the solar plant, but pays off in just 2.86 years – in addition to the ecological benefits. But – this is also a reality – approval is still pending from the Department of Cultural Heritage.
2. Installation of Air Quality Sensors:
   Energy inefficiency will be addressed by installing air quality sensors to regulate heating and reduce electricity usage. The sensors will enable real-time monitoring and ensure that systems are activated only when needed. This measure is expected to save up to 7.1 MWh/year in heating and 10.08 MWh/year in electricity, resulting in a further reduction of 0.95 tons of CO₂ -emissions annually. The investment for this system is 2,000 €, and it is currently in the pilot phase.

• Industry Sector: Hospitality/Hotels
• Energy Source: Electricity and heating
• Energy savings potential: Electricity – 53.3 MWh/year
  (PV 43.2 MWh + HVAC 10.08 MWh),
  Heating – 7.1 MWh/year
• CO₂ savings potential: 5.36 tons/year (PV 4.41 tons / HVAC 0.95 tons)
• Potential cost reduction: 10,615 € (PV – 8,200 € / HVAC – 2,415 €)
• Investment costs: 24,000 € (PV – 22,000 € / HVAC – 2,000 €)
• Payback period: PV 2.86 years, HVAC 0.85 years

• Company:
  Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre
  Gedimino pr. 44B
  Vilnius, LT-01110
  Lithuania
  https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/vnogigi-hilton-garden-inn-vilnius-city-centre/

Some areas of the roof are available for photovoltaic installations, permission is s are already applied for (©Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre).

Together, these initiatives will help the hotel reduce its energy dependency reduce operational costs, and contribute to making Hilton Garden Inn Vilnius City Centre a greener and more sustainable hotel. The overall combined benefits include:

• total estimated cost savings of 10,615 € per year,
• total annual energy savings of 60.4 MWh electricity and
• a total annual reduction of 5.36 tons of CO₂–emissions.