KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - Some $15 million has been set aside in the 2013-14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, to improve the competitiveness of small and medium-size hotels through the use of renewable energy.

The Caribbean Hotel Energy and Action Project is a carry-over from the last fiscal year, and is being implemented by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, with funding through the Inter-American Development Bank.
Initial targets envisaged for the project include a review of energy consumption practices in the hotel sector; developing an investment plan for improving energy efficiency in the tourism sector; and developing efficiency models for hotels in Jamaica.