City of Lloydminster Russ Robertson Arena REALice Retrofit

OVERVIEW

As part of the MCCAC’s Recreation Energy Conservation (REC) program, the City of Lloydminster installed a REALice system at the Russ Robertson Arena. Built in 1976 and most recently renovated in 2016, the Russ Robertson Arena is a seasonal single pad arena of approximately 15,300 square feet. REALice is an energy-saving de-aerating system for ice rinks. It creates a controlled and structured vortex to remove gases and other particulates such as limescale as water flows through the device. REALice treated water eliminates the need to use heated water when building or resurfacing your ice and reduces compressor loads. The system has no moving parts and is easily integrated into existing piping systems. The project was commissioned in September 2021

APPROACH

This newly installed REALice system will help to reduce the costs of heating the water used to resurface the ice as well as the electricity costs associated with cooling the ice following resurfacing. This system eliminates the need for hot water when building and resurfacing ice by removing micro air bubbles from the incoming water resulting in lower natural gas consumption from water heaters and a decreased load on compressors.

RESULTS

The REALice installation resulted in a reduction of 18 tCO₂/year and an energy cost saving of $3,789.77/year. The system enabled the water heater setpoint temperature to be dropped from 170 F to 45 F. The project resulted in a 14% GHG reduction from the existing system and a 6% reduction facility-wide from the baseline.

“Council is pleased to see City Administration advance the 2022-2025 strategic plan. The installation of the REALice system allows us to reduce operating costs and further minimize our impact on the environment.”

Mayor Gerald Aalbers