The Longfellow Clubs, one of the largest fitness clubs in New England, has installed a 148 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) energy solution on the roof of its 75,000-square-foot Wayland, MA facility. The system, installed by commercial solar developer, and a Solar Power World 2014 Top Contractor, Solect Energy Development of Hopkinton, MA, includes 564 solar panels and is expected to generate over 180,000 kWh of solar energy annually, covering at least 21 percent of the club’s electricity needs.
Sustainable efforts are nothing new to the owners of The Longfellow Clubs. Longfellow is known as one of the greenest fitness centers in America, and counts dozens of energy-saving efforts as part of its overall sustainability plan. Longfellow founder Laury Hammel also founded the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) in 1988.
“We knew from the beginning that we wanted our business to be as sustainable as possible,” said Hammel, who along with co-owner Myke Farricker has undertaken strong initiatives to reduce electricity and water use at the company’s five locations, as well as reduce the clubs’ waste output by eliminating the use of products like paper towels and plastic water bottles. “We’ve always been interested in solar, and working with Solect has made the process as smooth and seamless as it could be.”
Longfellow worked with a third-party investor to finance the project and benefits from significantly reduced electricity rates. At the same time, the company has been able to further reduce its electricity costs by taking on initiatives such as insulating its indoor/outdoor tennis courts, which are housed in an air-supported structure. “We’ve been able to reduce our gas costs by about 50 percent just because of the insulation,” Hammel said.
Additional recent initiatives include further improvement to the facility’s lighting, which is continuously upgraded as new technologies emerge. The club also boasts a salt water pool, low-output showers, and waterless urinals.
“The Longfellow Club truly understands that every initiative they take to reduce their carbon footprint is a huge win for the environment,” said Alex Keally, Senior Vice-President and Partner at Solect. “By choosing solar, the club will reap the benefits of reduced energy costs for years to come.”