Many IHG owners are working toward energy management thermostats in every guest room by December 31, 2026. We talk with owners, GMs and engineers about it every week, and the same three assumptions keep coming up.
They’re understandable. They’re also why some hotels will be scrambling in December. Here’s what to know, and what to do this week.
A quick note before we start: confirm your property’s specific requirements and dates with your IHG brand contact. We’ll map your property to them.
Myth 1: “We’ll order the thermostats and our engineer will swap them.”
A box in the mail isn’t an install.
Every room still needs its wiring checked, its thermostat set up and programmed, and the whole thing tested. Now multiply that by your room count. Then add the rooms that don’t match the rest: fan coils in the suites, an older wing with its own wiring, a few units on a different voltage.
Your engineer already has a full-time job. Asking them to take on a few hundred rooms on top of it, in the busiest stretch of the year, is how projects slip.
There’s also the order things have to happen in. Most utilities want the rebate application approved before anything is installed. Equipment has lead times. Install crews book up as year-end gets closer. None of it is hard, but all of it takes time, and it has to happen in sequence. In other words, weeks, not days.
What works instead: survey every room type first, spec the controls to the HVAC that’s really there, and plan the install floor by floor around your occupancy or your PIP. We lay out the full sequence on our IHG December 31 page.
Myth 2: “Rebates aren’t worth the paperwork.”
Many utilities pay toward guest room energy controls, and your property may well qualify. We track 58 verified utility rebates and incentives from 53 utilities across the US and Canada, each checked against the utility’s own program documents.
They come in two kinds:
- Prescriptive rebates are a fixed, published amount per room, unit, thermostat or sensor. If your project meets the conditions, that’s the rebate.
- Custom incentives are calculated for your project, based on the energy it saves or a share of its cost, often with a cap.
The details matter. Most programs are written for in-room occupancy control, and front-desk-only systems usually don’t qualify. Most also require pre-approval before install, which is exactly why rebates and deadlines need to be planned together.
The paperwork is real, but it doesn’t have to be yours. You send us a recent utility bill, your room count and your HVAC details. We verify eligibility, file the applications, coordinate any inspections and follow up until the rebate is collected. Where your utility allows it, you can assign the rebate to us so it comes off what you pay up front. Or keep the check yourself. Your choice.
What works instead: check your rebate before you commit to anything. You can search by state, province or utility on our Rebates page, and we confirm your rebate in 2 business days.
Myth 3: “Once it’s installed, we’re done.”
Compliance is day one. Savings and comfortable guests are every day after.
Occupancy-based guest room controls let empty rooms stop heating and cooling, so your HVAC runs less. On average that means 20–35% energy savings, and most properties see a typical payback of 12 to 18 months, often sooner with utility rebates.* But that only holds if the system keeps doing its job. A sensor that drifts or a setting someone changed can quietly undo it, and the first person to notice is usually a guest walking into a warm room.
That’s why every system we install is continuously managed after go-live by our sister company, LiveXpert. Every system is checked daily through its own back end, alerts are handled, and your site team gets a direct contact for troubleshooting. Issues get spotted early and guests stay comfortable.
What works instead: before you sign anything, ask who’s watching the system after install and how. You can see the whole process, from survey to support, on How We Work.
Bonus myth: “We’ll deal with it in December.”
So will everyone else. Pre-approvals, lead times and crew calendars all get tighter as the year closes out. The hotels that start now get to choose their install dates, and the rest get whatever’s left.
What to do this week
You don’t need to solve the whole project this week. Just get it moving.
- Count your rooms by type. Note what’s in each: PTAC, VTAC, fan coil, split or “not sure.”
- Pull a recent utility bill. That’s most of what a rebate check needs.
- Find your brand documents. Share them with us and we’ll map your property to the right level of energy management and to the rebate it qualifies for.
- Book a free assessment. We’ll look at your rooms, HVAC and brand standard, confirm your rebate and give you a plan that works back from December 31.
FAQ
Do we need to replace our PTACs? Usually not. Most guest room energy management works with the PTACs, VTACs, fan coils or splits you already have. We check every room type during the free assessment and tell you if any units need attention first.
What if we can’t finish by December 31? Call us anyway. We’ll get your project scheduled and the rebate filed as fast as possible, document your plan so you can share it with your brand contact, and keep working after the date.
What do you need from us for the rebate? A recent utility bill, your room count and your HVAC details. We may also need the owner’s signature where the utility requires it. We do everything else, including pre-approval, inspections and follow-up.
Let’s look at your hotel
The free assessment costs nothing and comes with no obligation. You’ll talk with a specialist directly, and we reply within one business day. Ask for our one-page IHG December 31 readiness checklist while you’re at it.
Book your free assessment → or call our team at (561) 762-9500
*Savings and payback vary by utility rates, climate, HVAC type, occupancy and available rebates. Rebate amounts, approval and timing are set by each utility and can change; we confirm eligibility for your exact address before you commit. Lock-IT Services is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by IHG. IHG is a trademark of its respective owner.
