Planet Fitness has announced that its St. Petersburg, Florida, location has become the chain’s first net-zero energy building.
The gym partnered with Solar Energy Management to incorporate clean, renewable solar energy into the building’s redesign, which, according to proudgreenbuilding.com, involved the placement of 179 kilowatts of solar panels to feed energy throughout its 20,000-square-foot location. The install featured a solar power canopy and solar roof system fully integrated into the building’s infrastructure.
Planet Fitness reports that, with the improvements, more than 5,600 tons of carbon dioxide will be eliminated and the property’s monthly electricity bill will be reduced by 99%. The building also added LED lighting fixtures to increase energy efficiency further.
Ricoh and IKEA are two companies that have also committed to using solar for energy efficiency and to lessen environmental impact. IKEA recently announced it has outfitted its Burbank, Cali., store with a 71,000-square-foot solar array, which will produce approximately 1,033,000 kWh of electricity for the store. Ricoh announced in April that installed a solar array atop its Caldwell, New Jersey, office that is expected to generate $1.9 million in energy savings over the next 10 years.