Holiday Energy Optimization: A Practical 6-Step Guide for Retail and Hotel Buildings

Holiday periods increase operating hours and occupancy, which pushes HVAC, lighting, ventilation, and hot water systems harder – often during higher winter utility rates. The fastest way to reduce holiday energy costs without sacrificing comfort is to (1) quantify how loads shift, (2) fix obvious inefficiencies early, (3) align schedules with utility pricing, (4) monitor comfort proactively, (5) prioritize the highest-opportunity buildings, and (6) use the season as a benchmarking window.

Who this is for

Facilities teams, energy managers, and building operators in retail (malls, shopping centers, big box) and hospitality (hotels, resorts) managing peak-season performance and budgets.

What changes during the holidays (and why it matters)

In retail, holiday hours and seasonal lighting often shift peak load later into the day. In hotels, higher occupancy increases HVAC runtime plus hot water and laundry demand—often creating earlier morning ramp-ups and longer conditioning windows.

What to look for in your data

• Peak load timing shifts (especially evenings in retail)
• Longer runtimes and more cycling (HVAC, ventilation, lighting)
• Morning “ramp” spikes (common in hotels/resorts)

The 6-Step Holiday Energy Optimization Method

Step 1: Understand How Holiday Operations Change Energy Demand

Build a holiday baseline by comparing November-January operation patterns to typical weeks, using historical energy and BMS trends to separate expected seasonal increases from avoidable waste.

Do this

Compare holiday vs non-holiday weeks for:

• runtime hours
• peak demand timing
• load shape changes

Note which systems run longer or cycle more often

Outcome: You’ll know what’s “normal holiday load” vs what’s an anomaly worth fixing.

Step 2: Identify and Resolve System Inefficiencies Early

Small issues (setpoint drift, short-cycling, stale overrides) become expensive when buildings run longer – so prioritize quick corrections before peak weeks.

Retail quick checks

• Heating/cooling “ping-pong” during extended hours
• Seasonal setpoints that never got updated

Hotel quick checks

• Manual overrides left behind from past events
• Off-schedule conditioning for suites/common areas

Outcome: Lower waste + fewer “surprise” comfort complaints when occupancy spikes.

Step 3: Align Energy Use With Utility Pricing

If you pay time-of-use or demand-based rates, reducing peak-period load (even slightly) can cut costs disproportionately – especially during evening retail peaks and morning hotel ramp-ups.

Tactics

• Retail: pre-condition early, then hold through busy hours to avoid full-power HVAC during peak rates
• Hospitality: stagger floor start-ups; match run times to occupancy patterns
• Consider winter demand response opportunities where available

Outcome: Lower demand charges + less exposure to expensive peak windows.

Step 4: Monitor Comfort Conditions Proactively

Holiday crowds surface comfort problems faster; monitoring temperature compliance, CO₂, and humidity helps you correct issues before guests/tenants complain.

Retail

• Watch high-traffic zones (entrances/vestibules)
• Validate ventilation keeps up with actual foot traffic (CO₂ as a signal)

Hotels

• Check overnight conditions and recovery before check-in
• Track humidity stability during high-use periods

Outcome: Better experience + fewer service tickets + less reactive firefighting.

Step 5: Prioritize Buildings Based on Readiness and Opportunity

During the holidays, time is limited. Focus on buildings where you have control capability (BMS integration, central plants) and high spend, and apply lighter checks elsewhere.

Portfolio targeting

• Deep optimization: sites with strong remote control/BMS + higher utility spend
• Light tune-up: sites with manual controls (schedule/setpoint checks, overrides, thermostats)

Outcome: Highest ROI per hour of operator effort.

Step 6: Use the Holiday Period as a Benchmarking Window

Holiday operations are an annual stress test—use what you learn to guide recommissioning, capital planning, and year-round efficiency strategy

• Retail: where did you override schedules? which areas failed comfort? Where were loads abnormal?
• Hotels: which wings or common areas needed intervention? Did controls behave as expected under high occupancy?

Outcome: Better planning for next season + clearer justification for upgrades.

One-Page Checklist

Below, we've summarized these steps into a concise operational checklist you can apply to your buildings today:

FAQ

What is “holiday energy optimization”?

Holiday energy optimization is the process of adjusting building schedules, setpoints, sequencing, and monitoring so peak-season operations use less energy while maintaining occupant comfort.

What’s the fastest holiday energy win for retail buildings?

Start with schedule and setpoint hygiene, then target evening peak demand drivers such as extended HVAC runtime and seasonal/exterior lighting.

What’s the fastest holiday energy win for hotels?

Clear stale overrides and tune morning ramp-ups (hot water, laundry, HVAC) by matching start times to occupancy patterns and staggering system start-ups.

How do I cut costs if my utility uses demand charges or TOU pricing?

Shift or reduce load during expensive peak periods using pre-conditioning, temperature “hold” strategies, and staggered start-ups—then verify comfort remains within targets.

Which metrics help prevent comfort complaints?

Zone temperature compliance plus indoor air quality signals like CO₂ and humidity help you spot under-ventilation or conditioning issues before complaints spike.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to overhaul your buildings to optimize for the holidays. Even a few targeted adjustments – better schedules, tighter comfort monitoring, smarter system sequencing – can meaningfully reduce costs and improve occupant experience during this busy time of year. 

And what you’ll learn now? It’s not just applicable to the holidays. Your learnings today will help you build a stronger foundation for improved year-round energy performance – truly, the gift that keeps on giving. 

About Noda

Noda is a data and analytics company on a mission to make every building smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. Recently ranked in the top 10 tech companies leading the charge on climate action, its AI-powered suite of products surface unique insights that empower real estate teams to reduce costs, decrease time spent on routine work, and find and act on opportunities to save energy and carbon. Discover how Noda's solutions can unlock the potential of your assets and accelerate the transition to net zero. Visit us at noda.ai to learn more.