Propane use has increased efficiency, reduced energy costs, and improved visitor experience Ruby’s Inn takes environmental stewardship seriously, which is why the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is awarding it with an Energy for Everyone Hero Award. Located in picturesque Bryce Canyon National Park, the historic inn relies on a clean-energy that is good Read more
Jim Bunsey
Propane use has increased efficiency, reduced energy costs, and improved visitor experience
Ruby’s Inn takes environmental stewardship seriously, which is why the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is awarding it with an Energy for Everyone Hero Award. Located in picturesque Bryce Canyon National Park, the historic inn relies on a clean-energy that is good for its customers and the environment—propane.
Propane use at Ruby’s Inn has helped to eliminate 5,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent. This is equal to greenhouse gas emissions from:
- 1,410 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.
- 771,822,585 smartphones charged.
- 795 homes’ energy use for one year.
“Being located next to a national park, we always think about our carbon footprint,” said Lance Syrett, Ruby’s Inn general manager. “We are confident about using propane. It’s efficient, it’s always available, and it’s a clean energy source for us to use.”
Ruby’s Inn has been serving visitors since 1916, well before the Bryce Canyon became a national park. On average, Ruby’s Inn greets as many as 4,000 guests per night. With 19 buildings, 700 hotel rooms, three restaurants, three swimming pools, and a laundry facility handling 19 tons of laundry per day, the resort’s hot water system was under a tremendous amount of strain. A few years back, customer dissatisfaction with cold showers led to financial loss for the resort to the tune of approximately $60,000 a year in guest discounts and refunds.
Ruby’s Inn fixed its hot water demand issues by removing older model open-flame boilers and replacing them with several high-efficient 199,000 Btu storage tank water heaters, and 175 propane-powered tankless water heaters from Rinnai—giving the Inn a completely revitalized system. The propane tankless water heaters also support the Inn’s environmental focus. Based on an energy and environmental analysis of different energy sources, propane tankless systems reduce carbon emissions by up to 50 percent compared with electric storage tank systems.
“The hospitality industry knows how important reliable water heating units are for a successful operation,” said Jim Bunsey, director of commercial business development at PERC. “Water heating represents seven percent of all energy use in commercial buildings. Six building types—lodging, healthcare, retail, education, food service, and office—represent 85 percent of all commercial building water heating energy consumption.”
“It’s important to Ruby’s Inn to use an energy source that is cost-effective, reliable and efficient,” said Syrett. “Propane fulfills those needs and it helps keep the beautiful environment clean. It just makes sense.”
Learn more about Ruby’s Inn’s commitment to the environment and how propane is used at RubysInn.com/Sustainability-Initiative. Learn more about the benefits of propane in commercial and hospitality buildings at Propane.com/for-my-business.
Bunsey brings comprehensive propane industry experience, commercial market knowledge to PERC The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announces Jim Bunsey as its director of commercial business development. In his new role, Bunsey will be responsible for PERC’s commercial and power generation portfolios and will be the liaison to energy service companies (ESCOs), construction specifiers Read more
Bunsey brings comprehensive propane industry experience, commercial market knowledge to PERC
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announces Jim Bunsey as its director of commercial business development.
In his new role, Bunsey will be responsible for PERC’s commercial and power generation portfolios and will be the liaison to energy service companies (ESCOs), construction specifiers, and the commercial trades. He will also focus on commercial opportunities that require larger fuel storage tanks and delivery by larger transport trucks.
“Jim is a great addition to the PERC team and brings extensive knowledge to this position thanks to his experience in the propane industry,” said PERC president and CEO Tucker Perkins. “We look forward to all of the success Jim will bring to the commercial market program.”
Bunsey was director of operations at Superior Energy Systems, where he oversaw all propane and natural gas liquid product design and development as well as in-field installations, including fuel terminals and over 600 propane autogas infrastructure installations. Before joining Superior, he owned Triad Mechanical, a company that designed and installed commercial and industrial HVAC and fire protection systems.
Bunsey is a member of the National Propane Gas Association’s Technology, Standards and Safety Committee and the National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Committee on Liquefied Petroleum Gases, also known as the NFPA 58 committee. He will work from his home office in Oberlin, Ohio.
“I’m excited and humbled to be a part of the PERC team,” Bunsey said. “This is a great opportunity, and I’m ready to get started working with construction professionals to keep reinforcing propane’s environmental benefits.”