Industries

Solar for Gyms, Pools and Leisure Centres

Guide · Commercial solar & battery · ~5 min read

Gyms, pools and leisure centres run on energy from open to close, with pumps, heating, lighting and air-con often running for long hours. Solar and smart storage let you take control of those costs and keep members comfortable without surprises on the bill.

Why leisure facilities are a strong fit for solar

Fitness and aquatic facilities tend to draw power steadily through the day, which is exactly when a rooftop solar system is generating. That overlap between generation and use means more of your solar can be consumed on site rather than exported, which is usually where the better value sits.

Many of these sites also have the physical ingredients for a sizeable system: large, relatively unshaded roof areas over courts, halls and pool enclosures, plus plant rooms where loads are predictable. ATI can scale from a modest rollout right up to MW-scale installations depending on what your roof and loads support.

• Long daily operating hours line up with solar generation
• Steady loads from pumps, HVAC and lighting
• Large roof areas over halls, courts and pool enclosures
• Predictable plant-room equipment that's easy to size against

The big energy loads to understand

Before sizing anything, it helps to know where your power actually goes. In most leisure centres the heavy hitters are water heating and filtration pumps, heating and cooling for large indoor spaces, and lighting across courts, change rooms and car parks.

Pool heating in particular can be a dominant and continuous load. Understanding when these loads run, and how they shift across the week and the seasons, shapes the right mix of solar and storage for your site.

• Pool heating and filtration pumps
• HVAC for gyms, studios and spectator areas
• Lighting for courts, change rooms and car parks
• Hot water, saunas, spas and amenities
• Café, reception and equipment loads

Batteries and AI energy arbitrage

Solar handles your daytime load, but leisure centres often run hard into the evening too. A battery lets you store surplus solar and use it later, so you lean less on the grid during peak periods.

This is where ATI's approach stands out. Our AI-driven energy arbitrage charges the battery when power is cheap and discharges or exports when prices are high. For a facility with long hours and variable tariffs, that can make a real difference, though the exact benefit depends on your tariff and network.

Planning around members and opening hours

A working facility can't simply shut down for an install. Because ATI uses its own in-house team rather than subcontractors, we can plan the work around your schedule, stage the installation and keep disruption to members and staff to a minimum.

We also handle the electrical side end to end, which matters when you're integrating solar and storage with existing plant, switchboards and controls. Being CEC and SAA accredited means the work is done to standard and documented properly.

• In-house team, no subcontractors
• Work staged around opening hours
• Full electrical integration with existing plant
• CEC and SAA accredited installation

What we've done elsewhere

ATI works Australia-wide across commercial and residential projects, from 6.6kW systems up to MW scale. Our commercial work includes a 415kW rooftop at DB Santasalo in Bulli, NSW, along with sites for Garmin, Goldschmidt, a Hunter Valley vineyard and Kingswood.

That range matters for leisure facilities, because no two sites have the same roof, load profile or tariff. The right solution for a single gym looks very different to a multi-pool aquatic centre.

The next step: a site review

Real numbers for your facility come from looking at your actual roof, loads and tariff, not from a generic estimate. A site review lets us map your energy use across the day and model how solar, storage and energy arbitrage could work for you.

If you run a gym, pool or leisure centre and want to understand your options, get in touch for a site review and we'll take it from there.

More: browse all guides · see our projects