22 Jul Armstrong BC Invests in REALice and a Greener Community
The City of Armstrong /Township of Spallumcheen has invested in a brand new REALice system. Just in time for the upcoming season, the Norval ice arena will be building their ice from scratch with unheated water. This switch would not only save the community thousands of dollars immediately in avoided utility costs, there is also a huge environmental benefit. Skating arenas are one of the most energy guzzling buildings a city has to run.
Located in the North Okanagan in beautiful British Columbia, this city with a population of roughly 5000 is one of the latest communities to purchase and install REALice. The arena boasts a single NHL rink and is in operation 8 months a year. On the single pad, the return on investment is calculated to be only 2.5 years. The annual energy savings is estimated to be 100,819 kWh in electricity and 567 GJ for natural gas.
“Managed by Canlan in partnership with the Armstrong Spallumcheen Parks and Recreation Commission, the arena will be the next arena in Canada using unheated water to flood and maintain their ice.” says Florian Gabriel, Managing Director of SWiCH Services Inc., the distributor of REALice in Canada. “Municipalities and private operations are becoming more aware of the emission and costs savings that are possible because of the avoided utility expenses.”
With a strong vision for the future, Armstrong is following through with their pledge for a greener city. In 2012 the City of Armstrong signed the Climate Action Charter pledging to become more carbon neutral and to be more energy efficient. REALice is a tool that can help achieve that goal.
10 YEAR ENERGY-SAVING FORECAST
Over a ten-year period, the REALice System is expected to save the municipality $113,000 – which corresponds to 200,000 gallons of gasoline, taking 375 passenger cars off the road — or 45,674 trees planted.
The REALice system is available for rent, lease or outright purchase. REALice Canada is currently offering two types of rental contracts: a 12-month contract for rinks operating year-round and an 8-month contract for rinks operating for a short season. Both contracts come with an option to buy-out the technology after 6 months.
For more information, contact:
Florian Gabriel, Managing Director
SWICH Services Inc.
Canadian Technology Transfer Partner
Phone: +1-604-710-5479
Email: info@realice.ca
Website: www.realice.ca
