Ohio State University

Location
Columbus | OH

Facility Type
University Recreation Center

ECO-POWR™
Products
12

Facility Size
80,000 sq. ft.
(7432 sq. m)

Potential
Energy Production
6,720 KW/year*

Students take on energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is a topic close to the heart of Ohio State’s campus. In 2017, the University released a comprehensive energy management project with the goal of improving energy efficiency on the campus by 25% in the next ten years.

In March 2018, the University’s energy partner, ENGIE, challenged students to take part in reaching this ten-year goal by improving energy efficiency among the student body through positive behavioral changes on campus. This challenge inspired students to undergo sustainable shifts that made sense for their high-energy usage lifestyles.

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I AM REALLY GLAD THAT ENGIE REACHED OUT TO STUDENTS TO HELP WITH THIS…WE KNOW
WHAT IS FEASIBLE TO CHANGE IN OUR BEHAVIOR AND WHAT IS INFEASIBLE.

Lauren Trapani | Student (Studying Environment and the Economy)
INNOVATE-O-thon winning group member

Energy efficiency goal

Grants were provided to the student body with the intent of making real changes that furthered the energy efficiency goal. Students took these grants and, after much research, presented the idea of utilizing energy generating cardio equipment. Upon installing ECO-POWR™ treadmills, ellipticals, and cycles, students are now able to workout and turn their burned calories into energy savings for the campus.

Both the Adventure Recreation Center (ARC) and Recreation and Physical Activities Center (RPAC) have a sustainable cardio area that is looking to make an impact on the overall energy efficiency goal of the Ohio State campus, in addition to connecting students to their energy consumption on a tangible level.

I THINK THE PROBLEM WITH SUSTAINABILITY IS IT’S TOUGH TO FEEL THE TANGIBILITY AND THE
DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE…WITH THIS EQUIPMENT, YOU SEE HOW MANY WATTS YOU’VE GENERATED AND GET TO SAY
‘I’M HELPING OUT THE UNIVERSITY, HELPING OUT THE ENVIRONMENT, AND HELPING OUT MY BODY.’

Zayn Dweik | Undergraduate Student Government Chief of Staff

Student response

Providing students the ability to see the tangible impact of their burned calories in the form of watts produced is adding an additional layer of meaningfulness to the workouts and connecting students to the overall University’s energy efficiency goals. With the current green cardio area, students are able to, not only, offset a small percentage of the facility’s total energy consumption, but also gain a connection to the larger mission.

IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO POWER THE WHOLE GYM YET, WHICH IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM
TO ME, BUT THE TECHNOLOGY IS HERE AND THERE’S UPGRADES, AND WE’LL UPGRADE
WITH IT SINCE WE’VE ALREADY INVESTED IN THE INITIAL TECHNOLOGY.

Zayn Dweik | Undergraduate Student Government Chief of Staff

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