Working up a sweat also means generating electricity at this Whatcom fitness center
A local fitness facility is putting some of its clients’ workouts to good use and cutting down its impact on the environment.
Fitness Gear & Training at 1605 N. State St. recently purchased eight electricity-generating Eco-Powr equipment manufactured by SportsArt of Mukilteo.
According to SportsArt the machines — five spin bicycles, two treadmills and one elliptical — capture 74% of the workout energy, which puts electricity back into the grid. Zac Palmer, vice president of Fitness Gear & Training, estimates the reduction of carbon dioxide will be more than two metric tons a year.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, “a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.”
Palmer said the machines start generating power within the first few seconds of a workout, creating that high capture rate.
“The people working out will be able to see how much electricity they personally and the entire building are generating in a day, week or month,” Palmer said in a news release. “The concept is ideal for Bellingham, which has many residents passionate about healthy bodies and a healthy environment.”
It’s the kind of project that Orion Eaton thinks could catch on. Eaton, energy project adviser at Sustainable Connections, did an assessment of it and the building for its commercial Community Energy Challenge. While a notch below solar panels in terms of impact, he thinks the human component is important because they can see the results. People are already working out for their health; reducing the carbon impact of the fitness center is an added bonus.
These machines have been on the market for a few years and their use is growing, Craig Arriza, SportsArt northwest sales manager, said in an interview. The machines seem to be attracting the interest of colleges and multi-family housing projects that are aiming for LEED certification. Fitness Gear & Training is the first Whatcom County customer for the Eco-Powr equipment, he said.
The public is invited to check out the new equipment as well as Fitness Gear & Training’s recent remodel. An open house is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the fitness center.
This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
