Serving up major energy savings with lighting upgrades at Knoxville Racquet Club


The Knoxville Racquet Club, the largest tennis, swim and fitness facility in East Tennessee, opened its doors in 1961. Overlooking the city of Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains, the 32-acre campus features a large  competitive swimming pool, a 1,500 square foot fitness area, and of course, tennis courts. 29 courts to be exact, including 14 outdoor fast-drying tennis courts.

The outdoor courts are used year-round by members, and with the club’s more than 30 national tennis titles, keeping those courts in top condition is a major priority. Developer Nick Cazana has used Pathway Lending’s Energy Efficiency Loan program for improvements at several properties, and recommended that KRC General Manager Scott Patrick look into the program.

“We’re always trying to enhance the facility for our members,” says Patrick, who has been with the club for more than 19 years. “With the 2% rate Pathway offers for big lighting projects like this, it was the perfect opportunity for our club, especially since we’re a nonprofit.”

“For each fixture, we were using 1,080 kw, and now we’re down to using 460kw,” says Patrick. “These lights use half the energy, and yet our light levels went up 40% with the energy efficient fixtures.”

The LED lights aren’t just saving money, they perform better, too. “Our old bulbs would take 20 minutes to warm up. Now, all these lights are immediate off and on,” says Patrick. “A lot of our members are environmentally conscious, so they’ve been thrilled with the improvements we’ve made.”

With their lighting upgrades, the Knoxville Racquet Club is on track to use 400,000 fewer kilowatt hours each year on their outdoor courts, saving their members and the club $40,000 a year.

 

Pathway Lending offers one of the most affordable energy efficiency loan programs in the state for nonprofits, industrial, and commercial properties, and to governmental entities as well. To learn more about our rates and terms, or to read more client success stories, check out our Energy Efficiency Loan Program page.