Five hotels on the central Pacific coast say they have reduced electrical consumption some 24 percent in a pilot project to save power.

The project began in 2005 and involved Sí Como No, Parador, Club de Mar, Best Western Jacó and Marriott Los Sueños, said a news release.

The strategy to save power came from the Fundación Red de Energía and two Dutch firms. The savings came from training and also analysis of power use. More than 50 percent of a hotel’s power needs is electricity, the release said.

A 24 percent savings in energy translates to a 1.5 percent increase in net income for the hotels involved, the release said.

Savings like this can be used to help hotels earn their sustainable tourism certification from the Instituto Costarricenese de Turismo, said the release.

Another project is being planned for hotels in the mountains.