Success Stories FTC Gym

FTC Gym

Providing cutting-edge renewable energy solutions to power and future-proof accessible, affordable, and sustainable fitness journeys.
Main Contractor: DPL Group
Project Value: Circa £55k
Services: Renewable Energy

DPL Group’s installation of renewable energy works for FTC Gym

FTC Gym was established to provide the community with accessible, affordable fitness equipment and services, catering for beginners, through to seasoned fitness fanatics. The gym is governed by ukactive, which is a national initiative, partnering with FTC which shares their vision of getting “more people, more active, more often”.  ukactive partners with over 4,000 other facilities, groups, and businesses nationwide, and in November 2023, launched Sustainable Futures, a programme designed to support the physical activity sector’s transition to net zero.

With energy usage and sustainability presenting sector-wide challenges, ukactive has pledged to support its members on their journey to decarbonisation, reducing their energy consumption and costs in the short and long term.

FTC’s premises in Ipswich house air conditioning facilities, and DPL partnered with FTC to recommend and install a more suitable cooling solution to mitigate the high costs incurred by their existing air conditioning in the summer. 

We were introduced to FTC gym by a local contact, and our team had first-hand experience of the facilities, nuances, and requirements of the premises, with some DPL employees being members of the gym

Challenges

The exacting needs of the gym, and the conditions required to ensure an optimal environment for its members meant that we worked very closely with the client to understand their existing energy consumption data.  The seasonality of the energy consumption meant we needed to recommend and install a solution that could maximise cost and carbon reduction.  To do this, we plotted their energy consumption data against their new design system, leveraging solar energy most efficiently. 

The report and personal attention to detail enabled us to install a system that met their exacting needs and satisfy the requirements of ukactive’s Sustainable Futures programme, integral to their long-term partnership. As such, the solar installation was supported by the trust the gym owner had in DPL’s team, who are end users of the system, as FTC members. 

In addition to installing the 44-module solar panel system, with a total PV Generator Surface of 87.4m^2,  we installed an electric vehicle charger (EVC) to further support their sustainability initiatives.

Over 20 years in buildings infrastructure

Name any industry, sector or type of building and we’ll have provided design, build and maintenance services for its power, light, heating, cooling, data, safety and security systems. And with concerns rising around costs and environmental impact, you’ll benefit from our expertise in greater efficiency and renewable energy sources.

Result

The investment in solar panels has a payback time scale of 6.5 years, but more importantly, it has reduced the air conditioning running costs significantly.  The 44-module system (OSDA ODA405-27V-MH) is powered by an RHI-6K-48ES-5G+2 X PureDrive (10kWh) battery system, one Solis S5-GR3P8K inverter and one RHI-3P10K-HVES-5G  inverter. 

In its first summer, the system is yielding exceptional results.  FTC Gym has reduced its CO2 emissions by 3,791 kg/year.  In addition, it completely supports FTC’s partnership with ukactive, and their joint sustainability goals. 

In addition, the gym environment now better caters to its users, at a lower cost to the client and the environment, enabling FTC to invest more heavily in state-of-the-art equipment to support its members’ fitness journeys. 

However, this project was exemplified by the importance of local, personal relationships, backed by our reputation for providing cutting-edge solar PV solutions to businesses in the region.  FTC was so impressed with the way we tailored the air conditioning and power solution to their exacting needs, that they have referred us directly to the ukactive Gym Association, where we hope we will make similar sustainability inroads for other like-minded businesses in the sector.

“As a gym operator, we had two primary reasons for installing solar PV panels. First, to solidify our position at the forefront of sustainability. As one of the greenest gyms in the UK, we are committed to enhancing our environmental responsibility by increasing the gym’s eco-friendliness and working towards carbon neutrality. Second, with fluctuating energy prices, it was essential to reduce our energy costs while maintaining a comfortable environment for our members. Air conditioning can be expensive to operate, but solar panels offered a cost-effective solution. By generating more energy than we consume during the summer, we’ve achieved cost-neutral energy use and we can even power our business electric vehicle at no extra cost. I’m very pleased with the work DPL have done for me.”
John Grindrod (FTC Gym Director)

Optimise your building’s systems

Get in touch to speak to an expert about your service or sector needs. Simply complete the contact form and one of our specialists will be in touch shortly.

DPL Group Ltd.
Units 2 – 4 Greenwich Business Park
Greenwich Close, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 0DD

T: 01473 253 350 E: info@dpl-group.co.uk

"*" indicates required fields

1. I am interested in

2. Personal Details

3. Message
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.