<p>The average consumer can trim back on road trips and turn up the thermostat a few degrees to conserve energy. But imagine tackling energy management for a company with a projected 2008 fuel bill of $772 million.</p><p>Clobbered by soaring fuel costs, Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises has brought in a vice president of energy management, tasked with scouting the company for ways to save energy and spend less for it.</p><p>''You can't have an impact without this jumping to the top of the agenda,'' said Patrick Sinclair, whom Royal Caribbean hired this spring to do the job.</p><p>Sinclair, 39, a South African with a shock of red hair and a ready grin, acknowledges the position is so new that his responsibilities are still being defined. But what's clear is that his search for energy savings has no limits, and that he'll take good practices from one ship to others in a fleet that includes five brands and 37 ships, with another seven under construction.</p><p>So far, the line is doing things big and small to save energy, ranging from revamping cruise itineraries and slowing ships down to using energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances.</p><p>Tweaking itineraries typically involves adjusting departure and arrival times and sometimes dropping one port in favor of another.</p><p>''The idea is to optimize port sequences so you get the most efficient voyage at the lowest possible average speed,'' said Bjorn Brock Johansen, captain of Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. He designed a software program to help itinerary planners create trips that save energy while maintaining passenger appeal.</p><p>''You need to shorten the time in port, but not too much, because it will affect the customer experience -- and shore-excursion revenue,'' he said. A key factor in selecting home ports is the cost and availability of air service, since many airlines have trimmed flights and raised fares. ''Airfare has gone through the roof, so it doesn't help to change an itinerary if the air [service] isn't easily available,'' Sinclair said.</p><p>As part of a conservation effort, Sinclair also is pushing a variety of small steps that the average consumer could apply at home, such as installing more efficient shower heads and kitchen appliances. He is asking simple questions like ``Do hot plates have to be fired up an hour or two before [meal] service?''</p><p><strong>SHIP UPGRADES</strong></p><p>Royal Caribbean is replacing thousands of halogen and incandescent light bulbs throughout its ships and its headquarters with energy-efficient LED and fluorescent lights. Timers, motion detectors, and dimmers are planned.</p><p>LED lights, he said, generate far less heat, thus having less impact on air conditioning. Heating ventilation and air conditioning are ''quite a significant drain,'' said Sinclair. Royal also is checking ship doors and windows for leaks and installing window tinting.</p><p>Royal Caribbean has high hopes for its new ships, which are designed to be more energy efficient -- from the hull shape to the type of propeller and rudder system used. On the Oasis of the Seas, which is slated for her maiden voyage in December 2009 as the world's largest cruise ship, the fuel cost per available passenger cruise day -- a standard industry measure -- is roughly 25 percent of that on some older ships.</p><p>Some of the latest efficiencies can be added to older ships. The company's Celebrity Cruises unit, for example, uses silicone hull paint that reduces resistance of ships moving through the water.</p><p>A group of managers work closely with ship and engine manufacturers to explore new technologies and even to look beyond fossil fuel.</p><p>Like most big fuel-dependent companies, Royal Caribbean has an active oil hedging program to reduce the risk of price fluctuations. Still, based on recent oil prices, it estimated its fuel expense for 2009 will be about $890 million. It is being more careful about where it buys fuel, since prices vary widely around the globe, Sinclair said.</p><p>A central element of Sinclair's post is ensuring the company has the best metrics to track energy usage. One system tracks megawatt hours by department. The company can tell by ship, by brand, and by date how much fuel, electricity, and water is used.</p><p>''We need to go after the things that matter,'' he said. ``You can't manage if you can't measure.''</p><p>The No. 2 cruise operator already has employees' attention on the energy management issue: In July, it cut 400 jobs to slash operating costs by $125 million. Behind the layoffs were soaring energy costs.</p><p><strong>CRUISE INCOME DOWN</strong></p><p>Royal's fuel bill has climbed by $180 million since the beginning of the year, which could mean an annualized increase of about $300 million, reported Richard D. Fain, the chairman and chief executive. As a result, second-quarter net income plunged 34 percent to $84.7 million, or 40 cents a share, from $128.7 million, or 60 cents a share, a year earlier.</p><p>''There were a lot of initiatives under way [when I started],'' said Sinclair, who joined Royal Caribbean in 2006 as vice president of information-technology strategy and global applications. ``Now the idea is to get them all moving forward.''</p><p>Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator, has similar initiatives under way, although it hasn't named a sole executive to oversee the various efforts.</p>