Using Exercise to Power Gyms
From 24-hour running equipment, lighting, air conditioning, televisions, pool heaters and so on, gyms are enormous energy consumers. What's more is that guests frequent gym facilities at all hours of the day, exerting tons of human energy. Couldn't some of that wasted power be harnessed and used to help power gyms?
That's the idea behind SportsArt Fitness' new ECOFIT Networking System, harnessing energy from human-generated power from exercises to be directly incorporated into the power grid. The Green System Inverter converts about 75 percent of energy generated by exercisers into useable power. To date, there are three cardio equipment options in SportsArt's line of Green System products.
The system shows users how much electricity is being produced on digital media displays on certain equipment. Through a cumulation of “points” generated by the user on their personal EcoFit data cards, users can compare and compete with others for awards and other perks.
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"Power generated by human pedaling is sent to an inverter and then to the power grid of the building,” Anita Miller, Senior Producer Manager for SportsArt Fitness, described in a statement. “The energy generated through the Green System Products will reduce the building's energy consumption and therefore reduce the cost. One inverter is capable of linking a maximum of 10 Green System Products and produces up to 2000 Watts of power. Depending on how many pods of Green System Products a facility has installed, the energy cost savings can be significant. The more you install, the more savings you will see. Great for health, the environment and the pocket book."
Talk about staying motivated through those tough workouts at the gym—no pain, no power!
