
06 Nov Sparwood’s Recreation & Leisure Centre Goes Cold
Vancouver, November 6th, 2019 – The District of Sparwood installed a REALice system this summer to turn off the hot water for all of their ice resurfacing.
“We are very excited to have the REALice system in our arena,” says Duane Lawrence, Director of Community & Facility Services for the District of Sparwood.
“Since the switch to REALice, we have reduced our resurfacing water temperature from 70°C to 20°C,” Lawrence says. “With the new water treatment system we have also been able to increase our ice temperature by 2°C!”
Both changes are impacting the energy spent on hydro and natural gas remarkably.
“We are seeing significant energy savings already with reduced hot water consumption and run time of our arena compressors”, he continues. “Our ice users are really enjoying the ice surface and our maintenance team can really see the difference in the ice quality and hardness.”
Perfect Timing
“The timing is perfect,” says Jermin Hsieh, Conservation and Energy Management Program Manager at FortisBC. “The District of Sparwood was able to benefit from our new Rink De-aerator rebate offer, receiving a point-of-sale* rebate of $20,000 for the purchase of the REALice system needed for their arena.”
Environmental Responsibility
The District of Sparwood is showing its commitment to environmental stewardship by adopting REALice’s cold water flooding technology.
Florian Gabriel, Managing Director of SWiCH Services Inc., the Canadian importer of the REALice technology, is thrilled with the achieved quality of the ice and the savings.
“Our system simulates hot water but without the hot water expense,” says Gabriel. “REALice takes the micro air bubbles out of the water and lets the ice makers make strong and resilient ice.
And because the properties of the water have changed, the brine temperature must be reset warmer to maintain great ice. Energy savings and great ice – that’s what REALice delivers, installation after installation.”