There is some irony in going to the gym to try to burn some calories. It generally means using energy – as in power from the grid – to help users use energy to burn those calories. Shouldn’t there be a way to utilize the latter to help with the former? We’ve seen some gyms devise ways of transforming that burn, and now at least one company is on board to introduce a line of energy-harnessing Green System for exercise facilities and fitness club owners, which will use the energy from exercise to produce electricity for the power grid.
SportsArt Fitness, a manufacturer of high-end cardio and strength products, is introducing its revolutionary Green System with a “pod” of fitness products attached to an inverter that harnesses human-generated power from exercisers -and feeds it back into the power grid as useable energy.
“The power inverter linked to the Green System cardio products is about the size of a stereo receiver and connects directly to the electrical grid for safety. To operate the system, a person would simply start exercising,” says Bob Baumgartner, Product Manager for SportsArt Fitness. “Each inverter can convert up to 2000 watts during full use. A typical health club that replaces all of their ellipticals and cycles with Green Systems could see savings of over $3,000 per year on electricity bills,” Baumgartner said.
The Green System joins an established line of eco-friendly fitness products offered by SportsArt Fitness. The launch of their ECO-POWRT treadmill five years ago offered club owners a treadmill that uses 32 percent less energy than the traditional club treadmill. SportsArt also offers completely self-generating ellipticals and cycles that require no outside power to operate.
“The combination of our ECO-POWRT treadmill motors and our Green System ellipticals and cycles will save facilities thousands in energy costs,” Ken Carpenter, Director of Sales for SportsArt Fitness said. “We welcome the entire industry to become more eco-conscious as we will continue to invest heavily into this crucial green initiative.”
The Green System is made to produce power and immediately send it back into the electrical grid. SportsArt’s Green System will reach the market in late-2011.