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Resurfacer Arena Contact Person Phone Battery Victory Memorial Arena Virgil Oldre (612) 627-2953 Battery Bloomington Ice Gardens Andy Baltgalvis (612) 948-8842 Battery Parade Ice Garden Tom Herbst (612) 370-4846 Tethered Fogerty Arena Mark Clasen (612) 780-3323 Tethered Edison Youth Hockey John Myers (612) 782-2123 Automatic Flood Water Fill Shut-off Nozzle Overfilling resurfacer flood water tanks wastes water and energy. After every resurfacing, the flood water tank is refilled so it is ready for its next use, usually every hour. When fully opened, most water hoses will fill the flood water tank in 20 - 30 minutes, but an employee must turn off the valve to avoid overflowing. In some arenas the flow rate is reduce so the flood water tank is filled in approximately an hour, or the time allotted between resurfacing. Overflowing is common in either method and results in wasting water which is expensive. It is even more costly in terms of energy consumption in arenas which use heated water for resurfacing because overflowing a tank is like pouring hot water down the drain. Arenas can conserve water and energy by installing a simple, inexpensive device used on all gasoline pumps. An automatic shut-off nozzle can be attached to the end of the fill water hose and when the tanks are full the nozzle will automatically turn off the water. The cost for an automatic shut-off nozzle is around $30 dollars and if only one gallon of water is eliminated from spilling at every resurfacing, the payback is estimated at 6 years based on water charges alone. If the cost for heating the water is factored in, the payback decreases to only 3 years. Automatic shut-off nozzles also decrease staff time required to monitor the tank levels between resurfacing periods. Automatic shut-off nozzles are used in many Minnesota ice arenas. REFRIGERATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS Condenser Fan Variable Speed Drive A condenser fan variable speed drive will not only reduce the condenser energy use, but also save on compressor energy use by lowering the average head pressure. The lower and much steadier head pressure will also reduce wear on the compressors. Energy consumption in many ice arenas can often be reduced by lowering the head pressure that is maintained by the condenser fan and/or pump controls. The refrigerant that is circulated through the refrigeration system first absorbs heat from underneath the ice sheet and then dumps that heat to the outside air through a condenser. In order for heat to flow from the refrigerant in the condenser to the outside air, the refrigerant must be at a high temperature and pressure (referred to as the head pressure). This high temperature and pressure is generated by the compressors that pump the refrigerant through the various parts of the refrigeration system. The compressors are the primary energy users in the refrigeration system, and reducing the head pressure that they must generate will dramatically reduce the arena's energy use and equipment maintenance needs. Therefore, the condenser controls should be set to provide the minimum Possible low-cost/no-cost improvement Page 6 Energy Improvements in Minnesota Public Ice Arenas Project Center for Energy & Environment