Net Zero Ice Rinks: What the FCM Study Found
Ice rinks and the path to net zero
When a municipality adds up emissions from its buildings, arenas stand out. They typically account for 20–30% of energy use across a municipal building portfolio, and they run for most of the year. That makes them the obvious place to start, and the hardest place to know where to start.
In 2021 seven southern Ontario municipalities put nine rinks through a cohort study with the Climate Challenge Network, supported by FCM's Green Municipal Fund, to answer exactly that question. The findings are public, and cold-water resurfacing is one of the measures they identify.
What the study found
The feasibility studies showed an average 85% emissions reduction is achievable per rink, ranging from 26% through purely operational measures to 99% in a best case. Collectively the nine rinks can cut 2,189 tonnes of CO2e by 2050, an average of 243 tonnes each.
Crucially, the study found this is financially feasible. Over the lifespan of a rink, reducing emissions has positive economic benefits once you count the total cost to operate, maintain and renew building equipment. The key is timing retrofits to coincide with equipment that was going to be replaced anyway.
Source: FCM Green Municipal Fund, Creating a shared path to net zero ice rinks. Winner of FCM's 2022 Sustainable Communities Award, community buildings retrofit category.
Where resurfacing sits
The FCM guidebook puts resurfacing at 17% of an arena's CO2 emissions, the third-largest source after refrigeration and HVAC. Unlike those two, it doesn't need a plant replacement to address.
The Mayors' Megawatt Challenge roadmap classes cold-water resurfacing as a high-impact measure: 21.7 tonnes of CO2 per ice pad per year in Ontario, accounting for 13% of the emission reductions needed to reach net zero.
"Reduce ice resurfacing water temperature by using cold water ice resurfacing products such as REALice or equivalent has a fairly large impact on emission reductions."
Frank Cammalleri, Enerlife Consulting · Roadmap to Net Zero Ice Rinks Pilot StudyThe measure your operators have to agree to
The same study names the obstacle, and it isn't technical:
"One way to achieve significant emissions reductions in ice rinks is by switching from hot-water to cold-water ice resurfacing. While the cold-water method is just as effective when done properly, operators can see such a change as risky when the quality of ice is so important to facility users."
FCM Green Municipal Fund, Lessons learnedThat is the honest position, and it matches what we see. The technology works; the question is whether the person running the sheet believes it will, and whether they know how to run it.
Which is why we train your crew
Every REALice system includes our Ice Meister certification course, for your whole team and for the people who replace them, for as long as you own the system. Over 100 Canadian operators have taken it. See the course →
And why we put operators in front of you
The strongest answer to operator hesitation is another operator. Several of the people on our site campaigned against the purchase before it arrived. Hear from them →
And what the ice actually does
Independently measured: harder ice, more uniform across the sheet, and clearer. The ice quality evidence →
Five of the seven study municipalities run REALice
Toronto, Brampton, Caledon, Barrie and King all took part in the net zero cohort, and all have REALice systems in their arenas. Markham and Halton Hills complete the seven.
Paying for it
Utility incentives
FortisBC and Pacific Northern Gas pay a flat $20,000 per system. In Ontario, Enbridge and Save on Energy rebates are calculated on measured savings and can be combined. We prepare and submit the applications in every province.
FCM's Green Municipal Fund
GMF funds both the feasibility study and the capital retrofit for municipal buildings. The nine rinks in the cohort study were funded this way, and the guidebook exists specifically to help the next municipality do the same.
Where to start
- Find out what your arenas actually emit. Most municipalities know their building portfolio total but not the split by facility. The FCM guidebook sets out what data to collect.
- Separate the operational measures from the capital ones. The study found 26% is reachable through operations alone: set points, thickness, humidity, scheduling. Those cost nothing and start this season.
- Time the capital work to equipment renewal. That's what makes the business case positive over a building's lifespan rather than negative in year one.
- Get the numbers for your own rink. We'll prepare an estimate showing gas, electricity, emissions and payback, with the rebates you qualify for included.
Further reading: lower the rink's carbon footprint · 20 ways to reduce ice rink costs · energy use in ice arenas
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