The price of energy has skyrocketed and you need to lower your energy bill quickly without drastically affecting your business! Here are some quick and easy ideas for immediate implementation.
/1 Lower the arena temperature
Lowering the air temperature in the arena room means a reduced cooling requirement for the ice. The warmer it is in the arena room, the more energy is needed to keep the ice at a given temperature.
You can save 5% of electrical energy for the cooling system per degree Celsius lower air temperature in the arena room.
Be careful though, make sure your dehumidifier is working properly to avoid moisture problems. If you do not have heat recovery, you also save on the heating cost.
Your indoor temperature?
- 0 to 5 °C
- Entre 5 et 10 °C
- Entre 10 et 15 °C
- + 15 °C
/2 Check the operation of the cooling system
Some basic parameters show how your cooling unit is doing. Ask your service provider to check:
The evaporation temperature - a too low temperature means higher operating costs..
Condenser performance - is it cleaned, are all fans working?
Maybe you can also raise the temperature of the ice a little? Every degree Celsius saves 3-4% of electrical energy for the cooling system.
/3 Optimize pump control
Do you have frequency control on the secondary refrigerant pumps? Check that the control works! Properly executed, this regulation saves at least 50% of electricity use for this circuit distribution.
If you do not have frequency control on the pumps, this is a small investment with a very short payback period.
Think long term too
With these simple suggestions, you can reduce the cost immediately ... and don't forget to follow up on the energy bill!
The savings potential - for the environment and your wallet - is even greater if you think long-term.
Renovating or installing a modern cooling unit with natural refrigerant can protect you against new legislation, save energy and make you self-sufficient with heat.
A good example is the Pirkkala ice rink, which is similar to many Swedish ice rinks. The installation of an R744 (CO2) chiller and optimized heat recovery made Pirkkala self-sufficient in heat and reduced total energy use by 30%.
The payback period decreases significantly as the energy price rises.
Need help? EKA is an independent adviser who is passionate about saving energy!