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Being Kind to the Environment

By May 12, 2016December 16th, 2021Blog

Each year the world consumes a lot of energy. How much? Well, the amount of energy used would equate to 26,742,000 pounds of crude oil, and each year the number goes up. At Hill Hiker®, we’re aware and concerned about the environmental impact of our hillside lift systems. This is why we focus on making sure inclined elevator systems are efficient and have a minimal impact on surrounding vegetation.

 

Letting Plants Grow

One problem with stairs and tracks is that they can disturb vegetation. Stairs are particularly hard on the land, as no vegetation can grow beneath the stairs, and plants struggle to grow in the space around it. A Hill Hiker Outdoor elevator system has a much smaller footprint on the landscape when compared to traditional stairs in terms of square footage of covered earth.

Vegetation not only supports the nearby ecosystem, but it also protects hills and cliffs from erosion.

At Hill Hiker®, we’ve designed our inclined elevator systems to allow more space for plants. Our tracks are open throughout much of the space downhill allowing sunlight and rain to pass through. They are also elevated, creating even more room forvegetation to grow and cover the soil.

Hillside Lift Systems- Deer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Critters and plants aren’t the only ones that benefit from the design of our Hill Hiker® Hillside Lift Systems. Your lift system also lasts longer, as the land supporting the track remains sturdy and free of erosion. Ultimately protecting the wildlife saves you money in the long run.

 

Less is More

Motors can use a lot of energy over their lifetimes. In fact, 98% of the lifetime cost of a motor is realized in power usage after purchase. Only 2% of the cost is from the cost of the motor. That’s why we’ve put a lot of energy into R&D to make our systems use the minimal amount of energy.

To make our systems efficient, we use top of the line materials.  Leeson motors, known for their efficiency, are used for each Hill Hiker® inclined elevator. The motors rely on premium materials and sophisticated design to reduce the amount of heat and energy waste.

To make the Leeson motors even more efficient, we use an advanced ABB drive to monitor and restrict the usage of the motor, ensuring what’s used is only what’s needed. This significantly reduces the amount of power used by the hillside lift system. In summation, you not only protect the environment when using a Hill Hiker® Hillside Lift System, you also save money in the long run.

 

Using the Sun

Every one of our systems are efficient and eco-friendly, but we have introduced a solar package that mounts to the car to improve upon the environmentally friendly design. The solar panels supplement the traditional power sources to provide alarm bells, emergency phone, lights and more. In some cases, where power supply is hard to come by, we installed systems that run entirely off of solar power. On a remote island in the Bay of Fundy, we installed solar panels to power our hillside lift system. Because our systems are so efficient, the power generated from the panels is usually enough to power the funicular. When excess power is needed a gas generator is there to help.

 

Using Water

Our efficient and eco friendly hillside lift systems are designed to run off of whatever power is available. In Belize, we were tasked with making a funicular for an eco friendly resort. To keep the resort eco friendly, a nearby stream was used to power the funicular.
At Hill Hiker®, efficiency and environmentalism is import. When you purchase a product from us, you will get a product that is not only eco-friendly, but efficient to use, saving you cash in the long run. To discover more about how we can design one of our efficient hillside lift systems for you, contact us for a free packet of information.