Ice Box Arena – Geoexchange System
The Need
Back in 1998, Brian and Kelly Silverson were planning to build the first private ice arena in the Kamloops region. The 2,298-square-metre arena would have one full-size sheet of ice, plus dressing rooms, washrooms, equipment storage rooms, lobby, lounge and offices.
The Silversons needed the building to go up quickly in order to meet pre-booked ice time commitments. At the same time, the rink would have to be built to withstand Kamloops 40°C summers and -30°C winters. And since it would be competing with subsidized public arenas, keeping operating costs low would be critical.
After learning about geoexchange heating and cooling systems, Brian contacted Ed Lohrenze of Ice Kube Systems, a Manitoba company specializing in geothermal ice arenas. Ed designed a system that would save 40 per cent of the energy needed for a conventional heating and cooling system, at no incremental cost.
The Technology
Geoexchange systems take advantage of the sun's energy stored in the ground, where the earth's temperature remains at about 12°C throughout the year. In the winter, heat pumps are used to extract heat from the ground or ground water and transfer it into buildings for space heating or hot water heating. In the summer, the heat pumps reverse the process, removing heat from the building and returning it to the ground, thus cooling the building. In other words, the ground or water acts as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer.
A geothermal heat pump system consists of pipes buried in the ground, a heat exchanger and ductwork into the building. The series of pipes, commonly called a "loop," is buried in the ground, either vertically or horizontally, near or beneath the building. The loop circulates a fluid (water, or a mixture of water and non-toxic antifreeze) that absorbs heat from, or relinquishes heat to, the surrounding soil, depending on whether the ambient air is colder or warmer than the soil.
The Project
Ice Kube Systems designed a geoexchange system in which a 90-ton open loop was drilled into the parking area. Because the arena sits on the on the Thompson River flats, it was able to use a well system that takes advantage of ground water, rather than an earth-based loop. The project was constructed in an astonishing 100 days, and the geoexchange system accounted for only 19 per cent of the total arena budget.
The Benefits
Operating cost savings
Thanks to the geoexchange system, Ice Box Arena's operational costs are about 50 per cent lower than those for conventional facilities. The system is saving the arena 250,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year, equivalent to $20,000 in annual energy cost savings. Further savings are achieved as a result of lower maintenance costs; during the first five years of operation, less than $100 was spent on system repairs, and maintenance costs came to an estimated 20 per cent of those for a conventional system. Because of the excellent savings, Ice Box Arena is able to compete with public facilities.
Enhanced comfort
Customer comfort is typically very high with geothermal systems, since heating and cooling can be done simultaneously and the systems offer zone control of heating levels.
Environmental and social benefits
An advantage of geoexchange systems is that they work by concentrating naturally existing heat, rather than by producing heat through the combustion of fossil fuels, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the geoexchange system does not use commercial refrigeration chemicals and procedures, as is typical in ice arenas, making it more environmentally friendly.
Ease of installation and maintenance
Because commercial refrigeration chemicals and procedures are not used in a geoexchange system, a refrigeration ticket is not required, making the installation easier and more straightforward.
