WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ruby’s Inn, an historic inn and vacation resort near Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, recently won an Energy for Everyone Hero Award from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).

Propane use at Ruby’s Inn has helped eliminate 5,200 metric tons of CO² equivalent. This is equal to the greenhouse gas emissions from 1,410 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year, according to a press release from PERC.

“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 greets as many as 4,000 guests per night.

With 19 buildings, 700 guest rooms, three restaurants, three swimming pools, and a laundry facility that handles 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 open-flame boilers and replacing them with several high-efficiency, 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, health care, 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.”