Fitness Chain EVO Takes Action – Energy-Trims Its Centres

– Electricity is a significant cost for us, and it is therefore important that we use the energy in our centres as efficiently and appropriately as possible.

That is what Operations Director at EVO Fitness, Kjetil Fanebust, says. Together with Qualitair and Energy Control, he has therefore been working to gain control of energy use in some of the chain’s fitness centres. One of them is located in Os, outside Bergen.

– Since the summer, we have been managing the ventilation system in the centre based on actual demand. This has given us a fantastic energy reduction of close to 40%. The results are so good that we are now looking at how we can roll this out across more of our centres across the country, says Fanebust.

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Much better control

The country’s first EVO Fitness centre opened its doors in 2010. Since then, the pace has been relentless and there are now over 60 centres across the whole country. The fitness chain has long had a focus on environment and sustainability and is now certified as an Environmental Lighthouse.

– We work hard to stay ahead. That is why we test new innovative solutions that give us advantages in terms of environment, costs and operations, says Fanebust.

Together with Marius Oddane at Qualitair, one of Energy Control’s partners, he has gone through the premises in Os and installed smart IoT sensors. This has given EVO better control over space use, technical systems and indoor climate.

– The fitness centre has long opening hours, but footfall varies greatly. At some times of day it is full to capacity, while at other times it is almost empty. It therefore makes little sense not to have more active management of the ventilation. By demand-controlling the ventilation, we see it is possible to achieve significant energy savings, says Oddane.

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Must be demanded

EVO Fitness today rents premises from building owners across the whole country. Oddane believes that for the fitness industry to succeed in becoming more sustainable, building owners must be part of the solution.

– They must be willing to take energy-efficiency measures. But at the same time, tenants must become better at asking for and demanding more energy-efficient premises, says Oddane. 

EVO Fitness is looking forward to the continuation and to a close and productive collaboration with Qualitair and Energy Control.

– It will be very exciting to see if we can achieve similar savings at other EVO centres around the country, says Fanebust.