Life Time, Inc. Surpasses Better Buildings Challenge Energy Goal
In 2017, Life Time, Inc. became the first athletic club partner to join the Better Buildings Challenge by committing to a 20% energy efficiency improvement over 10 years from a 2014 baseline. Now, Life Time has surpassed that goal, reaching 38% energy savings in just seven years.
Life Time improved energy performance by upgrading HVAC equipment and controls, implementing LED lighting retrofits, and installing variable frequency drives, and the company is currently recommissioning its building portfolio of more than 16 million square feet. Life Time is currently tackling innovative new projects, like coupling its energy management system with its class scheduling system so that the over 750,000 fitness classes it holds each year are more efficiently heated and cooled automatically.
Life Time was also recognized by DOE’s Advanced Rooftop Unit (RTU) Campaign in 2017 for implementing the highest percentage of high-efficiency upgrades to its portfolio. The organization modernized 95% of its RTU inventory in four years by upgrading more than 1,000 RTUs and retrofitting another 1,800 with advanced controls.
When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the sudden closure of athletic clubs in early 2020, the facilities management team at Life Time mobilized to avoid what could’ve been significant energy waste. Life Time underwent a full process of commissioning during the pandemic shutdowns, recalibrating building management systems and rescheduling 5,000 pieces of equipment to save the company $16 million on energy costs that year. As clubs returned to operation later in 2020, the facilities management team once again undertook a commissioning process to shut down more systems at night and avoid energy waste.
Life Time has also demonstrated a unique water efficiency measure: steam room optimization solutions that cut down peak demand and run-times of the steam rooms at its clubs. Life Time is a large consumer of water nationally due to its swimming pools, showers and laundry, so improving water efficiency is important to the company. Life Time has made strides in efficiently managing its water use through proactive maintenance, optimizing irrigation systems, annually testing showerheads, validating laundry programming, and ensuring that there are no leaks or autofill issues through real-time metering of pools.
To learn more about Life Time’s efforts as a Better Buildings Challenge partner, visit the Better Buildings Solution Center and check out Life Time’s commitment to environmental stewardship to read about the company’s other sustainability efforts.