New controls at city arenas save energy and keep fans warm

The City of Winnipeg has a plan to keep the ice cool at the right time and hockey parents comfortable during games.

New ice plant control systems have been installed at 11 of the 12 city-operated arenas. This allows for automatic controls of ice temperatures from a central location in each building.

Until now, pumps circulated all the time during the hockey and skating season to ensure the ice was in good shape. Now the new system has sensors on the ice surface that gauge ice temperature and adjust it based on use, instead of the pumps continuously running.

Glen Stefanyshen said the city has downloaded the daily hockey schedules.

“We’re able to set back our ice temperature if there's no one using it, and then based on the schedule, we'll turn on the systems so it will cool the ice in time for the activities," said Stefanyshen, the superintendent of Asset Operations and Energy Management.

As a result, the city said energy use on the pumps has fallen by 40 per cent.

There is also another perk.

"For parents in the stands, this will ensure that there is actual heating in the stands when people are in the stands." 

Soon motion detectors will sense when people are in the stands, making sure the heat is on and at the right temperature, so spectators aren't as cold as the ice.

"Any motion sensed in the stands, it will activate the heaters,” said Stefanyshen. “You don't want to have the heaters turned on too high because you’re going to be fighting your ice plant in that situation."

Stefanyshen said the budgeted cost of the ice plant controls is around $35,000 per arena.

Eric Coy was the arena not on the list. Stefanyshen said it already had similar system upgrades before this project.