08 Jun District of Squamish Buys REALice® System for Municipal Arena
The REALice installation at the Brennan Park Recreation Centre will save energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%
June 8, 2016 – REALice Canada, the supplier of a cold water method for making ice in arenas across Canada, is pleased to announce that the District of Squamish, B.C. has purchased a REALice® System for its indoor ice arena in the Brennan Park Recreation Centre.
The Brennan Park facility, which also houses a swimming pool and community centre, has a single NHL-sized ice surface with bleacher seating for 450. Camilla Say, the facilities manager for the District of Squamish, says the REALice installation will let them replace the arena’s hot water tank, which has been fuelled with natural gas.
“This will bring to 19 the number of rinks using a REALice system to make and maintain ice in North America – a number that is growing each month,” says Florian Gabriel of SWICH Services, the distributor of REALice in Canada. “The REALice technology lets ice makers make ice without using extremely hot water, making a substantial reduction in an arena’s energy costs.”
Background:
Artificial indoor ice has been made for decades with very hot water, which removes tiny air bubbles from the water, resulting in a smooth skating surface when poured thinly and then frozen. The REALice® system is a radical approach to ice making, removing the micro air bubbles in the water through a high-speed patented vortex (hydro-dynamic cavitation) delivering the same results, without the expense of hot water.
In 2014, the patented REALice system was part of a large-scale Ice Rink Resurfacing Efficiency pilot project spearheaded by FortisBC, the regulated gas utility in British Columbia. At this time, the REALice® system was already installed and saving energy and money in over 300 ice arenas in Europe.
For the pilot, the REALice system was installed in 10 rinks around British Columbia. At the end of the study, 90% of the rinks involved adopted the technology, which lets ice makers and re-surfacers build and maintain ice without the use of hot water.
Florian Gabriel says the District of Squamish will be pleased with the energy savings.
37,000 trees planted, and 305 cars taken off the road
“Our calculations are that the REALice installation will save the District of Squamish approximately 90,000 kWh in electricity and 350 GJ of natural gas — per year. This corresponds to 37,000 trees planted and 305 cars taken off the road over the REALice system’s anticipated life of 10 years!”
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
