The problem

Non-renewable energy is one of the main causes of climate change and is still the main source for electricity production in the world by far. In the U.S., energy consumption in buildings accounts for almost 50% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, while Industry accounts for 24.4% and transportation 28.1%. Thus, low energy efficiency in buildings is one of the biggest sustainability issues around the world and must be addressed in order to reduce the carbon footprint.

The technology

In order to improve its energy efficiency and address the increasing costs of electricity, a fitness center in Bristol, UK, installed an innovative equipment that harness the workout of the clients to produce clean energy. Cadbury House Club became one of the first gyms to convert their user’s energy into electricity and channell it into the facility’s power supply.

The stakeholders

• Gym shareholders
• Gym customers
• Citizens that care about the environment

Deployment

• Cadbury House Club needed to address the increasing costs of electricity
• To avoid extra charges to customers, Jason Eaton, general manager, decided to invest in ARTIS Technogym machines, the electricity generating equipment for fitness centers.
• A normal workout on each machine can generate between 50 and 100 watts, which means 1kWh of energy per day per machine.

Source: https://www.forumforthefuture.org/greenfutures/articles/uk-gym-converts-workout-energy-building-power