Benefits

The RinkSense system provides multiple benefits for owners, facility managers, operators, users and the public at large.

Hockey players, figure skaters, speed skaters and the general public want ice that meets their specific needs.

Owners and managers want ROI and efficiency, minimizing wear and tear on equipment and the ability to attract new potential clients to their rink.

Ice Managers want ice which is of high quality, easy to lay and maintain, while preserving the building environment; a daily, complex challenge.

Our goal is to provide an economical system to ice rinks, enabling all actors to more easily and readily meet their needs.

ICE QUALITY:

Smoothness, temperature, hardness, durability and clarity of ice are key components impacting on both user experience and maintenance costs. Once ice managers have adapted to a new set of parameters (lower flood water temperature, less water used, higher ice temperature) with RinkSense, tangible benefits result:

• Users benefit from a faster, clearer surface.
• Ice management benefit from:
  • less ice temperature fluctuation
  • and 80% less humidity from flood water

Leading to easier overall ice quality management and user experience.

ENERGY SAVINGS & PAYBACK:

How much savings are there?

Every arena is different and should be assessed individually; based on our study of 21 arenas in Canada average savings of $12,000 can be expected (dependent on energy cost)

These are the tangible savings from refrigeration and hot water heating that are readily calculated using industry sector norms (ASHRAE). Lower heat loads on the ice sheet and lower flood water temperatures are the driving factors associated with these savings.

In new or retrofit situations lower than normal refrigeration requirements may be feasible.

Arena Payback?

Arenas are expected to recover their costs in 2 to 4 months of each operating season if leasing or within 2-3 years if purchasing.

EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS:

The RS system impacts in several ways to improve efficiencies:

• Extended equipment life. Cold water resurfacing reduces refrigeration demand during resurfacing and over the course of the day. This reduces compressor operating hours by 10-15% thus extending equipment life.
• Higher ice sheet temperature. When higher ice sheet temperature is achieved the arena air temperature will increase slightly, reducing air heating requirements.
• Less humidity. Cold water resurfacing results in approximately 80% less water vapor transmitted to the air. This reduces condensation and ventilation requirements. Drier air is also cheaper to heat.

ENVIRONMENT:

For the Public at large there is also a significant benefit with RinkSense:

• CO₂ emission reduction. 68-153 tons/ year, equivalent to 14-31 Cars & Light Trucks off the roads (quantity is dependent on energy source i.e. coal, oil, hydro or nuclear).
• These CO2 emission savings can represent a significant step toward reducing an ice rinks environmental impact which is good for the environment good for people and good for the planet.