You can save a lot of energy through efficiency improvements, even at a modest-sized motel. Sapana Patel and her partners took over a 20,000-square-foot motel in Hillsboro and remodeled it as the EconoLodge Inn & Suites in the summer of 2007.

With help from Energy Trust, they made it a major priority to replace the ancient, leaky heating/air conditioning units with high-efficiency equipment. They’re so pleased with the results that the partners are encouraging others in the hospitality business to make energy-efficiency a priority.

According to Jerry O’Neal from Lodging Supply Company, package terminal heat pumps are at least two times as efficient as new heating/cooling units. And if property owners are replacing old baseboard heat and conventional air conditioners the savings are even more dramatic.

• 60 in-room, energy-efficient, package terminal heat pumps and high-efficiency lighting

• $25,000

• 64,000 kilowatt hours

• $100/room for each package terminal heat pump

• 6-12 months, compared to conventional heating/cooling units

• 10-12 years