CV EQUIPMENT
R-Rider, from Taiwanese company Rhymebus, converts kinetic energy into electricity that can then be fed back into the grid
wattage could power, such as a kettle or light bulb. Members are also motivated to work harder by being shown images of appliances they could power were they to increase their intensity.
THIRD PARTY GADGETS However, while some have persisted, other companies have put energy- capturing technology on the back-burner. Everyone wants to be greener, as long as it doesn’t cost significantly more or cause them too much inconvenience – which is one of the snags, because sometimes it does cost more. Indeed, equipment manufacturer
Precor cites cost as the main reason for pulling out of an exploratory collaboration with US company ReRev in early 2010. ReRev retrofi ts cardio equipment with a device to re-route the energy that’s being emitted as a heat by- product. Instead of the equipment raising temperatures inside the facility, causing air conditioning units to work harder, the energy is delivered to a central unit which converts human power to utility grade electricity. An elliptical machine in regular use can generate an hour of electricity every two days – enough to run a laptop for 24 hours. Jonathan Griffi ths, UK marketing
manager for Precor, says: “It’s an exciting product, but unfortunately the ROI makes it less attractive to most facilities. Although we care about energy effi ciency and want to support these types of power regeneration products, at present the fi gures simply don’t make sense for us as manufacturers, or as a viable long-term solution for operators.”
THE GREAT OUTDOOR GYM COMPANY
The Great Outdoor Gym Company has recently invested around £500,000 in the development of green energy gyms. There are two types of gym: Glow, where users can charge their mobiles, and Flow, where energy is fed back to the grid. Following successful pilots, it’s planning to install green energy gyms into thousands of parks over the next five years. “We’ve had user feedback that the energy generation is a good motivation for people,” says creative director Georgie Delaney. “Users of the new gym in Hull say they come every night to keep park lights charged. Young people say it keeps them exercising for longer, and we also noticed this at a fi eld trial in Trafalgar Square.”
However, Taiwanese company
Rhymebus believes its gadget – known as R-Rider – can bring about substantial cost savings in the long run. Although it can be retrofi tted to ellipticals and bikes, Rhymebus is keen to talk to equipment manufacturers about getting it installed into equipment at the factory stage. When fi tted, R-Rider converts kinetic
energy into electricity that can be fed back into the grid. It can be used with a bike, elliptical trainer, stepper or rowing machine, allowing an adult to generate about 150 watts an hour – enough to power a typical lightbulb for 10 hours.
76 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital Senior executive of R-Rider, Jay Huang,
gives an optimistic projection of what this can save a club: “If a club has 50 pieces of equipment fi tted with R-Rider, it may be able to do away with the need to buy energy and even allow the club to sell energy back to the power company. Done on a daily basis, the R-Rider’s return on investment is less than two years.” However, it should be pointed out that this theory has yet to be put into practice by any health club.
FUTURE GROWTH It seems much of this technology has yet to prove its ROI potential. Nevertheless, with increasing appetite for green solutions from operators, this sort of technology is likely to become more widespread going forward. Andrea Bianchi, MD of Technogym UK,
says: “We’ve certainly seen a growth in the number of clubs looking for energy- saving products. Reducing a facility’s carbon footprint is a growing priority: all local authorities now have energy-saving targets, and private companies are able to apply for grants to help them reduce energy consumption.” As natural energy resources continue
to be depleted, there’ll be growing pressure from both consumers and the government for clubs to become greener. Matrix sees investment in this direction as morally the right thing to do, as product director Rob Knox explains: “We continue to invest in R&D to improve effi ciency in treadmill motor output, as we believe this is not only the responsible thing to do, but it also aligns with the market’s future.” ●
February 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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