Seeing an opportunity to bring a new exercise approach to help members of the Charlton, Mass. community achieve their fitness goals, CrossFit Charlton recently opened its doors in a 3,200-square-foot facility.
Open 14-hours a day, the CrossFit affiliate gym offers group fitness classes as well as nine coaches on staff who are well-versed in the CrossFit language and who can use adaptive training to help people that may be recovering from surgery, a long-term illness, or mobility issues. “CrossFit is for any kind of person that wants to get a good sweat on and work on some functional fitness,” said Danielle Leboeuf, co-owner of CrossFit Charlton. “CrossFit helps people become stronger both mentally and physically. It’s going to help you get up out of the chair when you get older.”
Before they opened their doors, they partnered with National Grid, a Sponsor of Mass Save to get a no-cost energy assessment and explore ways they could save on energy usage.
“Just like how energy is important to our bodies, we are looking for a way to benefit the energy in our building as well,” said Jason Leboeuf, co-owner of CrossFit Charlton.
National Grid, and the other Sponsors of Mass Save, conduct no-cost energy assessments to help businesses, like CrossFit, identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs. This process is designed to help identify and provide recommendations on how to improve areas of energy waste and inefficiency.
The energy assessment process typically begins with an on-site visit by an approved representative. During this visit, the representative will conduct an assessment of the building’s energy systems, including heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and appliances and do so in a way that doesn’t disrupt normal business operations.
The representative will also gather information about the building’s energy usage, including utility bills and usage patterns, or in the case of start-ups like CrossFit Charlton in a new facility, identify potential areas of energy usage concerns and possible solutions.
Once the on-site assessment is complete, the representative will analyze the data and create a detailed report of their findings. This report will include information on the building’s energy consumption, as well as recommendations for improvements.
These recommendations may include upgrading lighting systems, installing energy-efficient HVAC systems, and implementing energy-saving practices such as turning off lights and equipment when not in use.
In CrossFit’s case, National Grid recommended the installation of a wi-fi thermostat and wall sensor to control and reduce energy usage when the building is not in use.
In addition to providing recommendations for energy efficiency improvements, the representative may also provide information on financial incentives and rebates that are available to businesses to help offset the costs of implementing energy-saving measures.
CrossFit’s passion for energy matched with National Grid’s passion for energy efficiency became a perfect pairing.
“We have a wonderful working partnership with National Grid and their work with us was seamless,” Danielle Leboeuf said. “During the assessment, they helped us select lights, water fixtures and more to make our building energy efficient. They did a great job advising us and helping us make the best energy efficiency decisions for our business.”
After the energy assessment is complete, the Sponsors of Mass Save make it a priority to continue being a valuable partner to help small businesses continue improving their energy-saving measures. The team will also provide ongoing support to help the business monitor energy usage and ensure that the energy-saving measures are having the desired effect.
