21 Apr Carbon Tax and Natural Gas Prices
What impact will the carbon tax have on natural gas prices?
Robin Hutcheson, a P. Eng. from Arborus Consulting / CoEnergy Coop in Ottawa, ON has done the math. For many municipalities using natural gas as a fuel source for water heating, the escalating costs — even over the next 10 years — may limit their ability to provide affordable ice time.
In making the calculations, Robin started with the variable charges for a cubic metre of natural gas in Ontario, using an Enbridge Gas bill as his starting point. He found that today’s cost, 31¢/m3, will escalate to 56¢/m3 by 2030.
Nearly twice as expensive in 2030
“It’s almost doubling!” Robin explains. “We expect this chart will have some point of impact in the municipal decision-making process.”
For many indoor ice arenas, natural gas is the fuel used to heat water, used for the canteen, for showers — and for maintaining the ice. The REALice system reduces the need for hot water floods, acting like hot water but without the water heating expense. It will reduce your natural gas cost by 79% or more — and reduce electricity cost by around 10%. All this with a maintenance-free system with an expected life of 25 years.
If you’d like to reduce your energy costs, your CO2 emissions — and still provide a high-quality ice surface for your user groups, contact us. And if you’re looking for low-cost financing solutions, contact Robin at +1-613-612-6821.
