LIFE TIME, INC. RECOGNIZED FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY LEADERSHIP
DOE recently recognized Better Buildings Challenge partner Life Time, Inc. for its achievements and leadership in energy efficiency. As a 2022 Goal Achiever, Life Time achieved 38% reduction in energy intensity across its building portfolio in just seven years – nearly doubling its Better Buildings Challenge goal. At the Chanhassen, Minnesota club, the company has reduced energy use by 35% and water use by nearly 60% over the past decade.
DOE leadership toured Life Time’s Chanhassen location, a Better Buildings Showcase Project, to see the company’s successful energy and water efficiency and conservation measures first-hand.
Left to right: Peter Isabell, Director of Energy Management & Sustainability, Life Time; Matthew Brinza, Senior Vice President of Architecture & Engineering, Life Time; Bahram Akradi, Chief Executive Officer, Life Time; Maria T. Vargas, Director, Better Buildings Initiative, U.S. DOE; Renee Main, Senior Vice President of Healthy Aging & Sustainability, Life Time; Jason Thunstrom, Senior Vice President Corporate Communication, Life Time; Mark Daly, Associate Director, Public Relations, Life Time; Dan DeBaun, Senior Public Relations Specialist, Life Time
The Chanhassen athletic club spans 110,000 square feet and includes a 26,000+ square-foot fitness floor, indoor and outdoor pools, steam rooms, pickleball and other sports courts, a spa, café, and more. With diverse facility needs, Life Time implemented electric, natural gas, and water projects to improve efficiency across the athletic club.
Life Time also leveraged mandatory pandemic shutdowns to overhaul its efficiency practices across 5,000 pieces of equipment, directly saving over 86 million kWh of electricity, 6.5 million therms of natural gas, and 600 million gallons of water.
On the pickleball courts, Life Time showcased efficiency optimizations, including LED-retrofitted fixtures which resulted in nearly 70% energy reduction, along with heating and cooling upgrades and demand control ventilation.
Life Time owns and operates more than 300 swimming pools across the country – making water heating and usage significant factors for the company’s energy efficiency improvements. At the Chanhassen club (along with more than 100 additional clubs), Life Time has retrofitted pool pumps with variable frequency drives (VFDs) to reduce energy use by 50%. Additionally, the athletic club has installed flow meters to monitor pool water levels – ensuring leaks are prevented and water is conserved.
Learn more about Life Time’s commitment to efficiency here, and review additional photos from the tour below:
Better Buildings Initiative Director Maria T. Vargas and Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi
The Chanhassen, MN athletic club floor features LED lighting
Life Time transitioned from plastic to recyclable aluminum water bottles across its clubs nationwide
Life Time has made it easy for customers to reuse and recycle its aluminum water bottles
Life Time custom-made the LED lighting at the Chanhassen indoor pool area to meet lighting needs more efficiently
The company retrofitted its outdoor pool pumps with VFDs, resulting in a 50% reduction in energy