by Bob Grylls
Special to whitewaternews.ca
WESTMEATH — Last Thursday the Westmeath and District Recreation Associated hosted an energy reduction presentation for nearly all pupils at Westmeath public School. The teachers there were Anne Bromley and Melissa White.
Also, me, WDRA VP Stephen Fleury and maintenance manager Mel De Haan, were present. Mr. Fleury started the presentation and Mr. De Haan finished it up.
The WDR Centre houses both the Ice Arena and Community Hall. The Rink has a typical ice-refrigeration system of compressors, a chiller, condenser and a water circulation tank. A qualified plant manager carries out inspections and performs preventative maintenance duties on the associated equipment.
Water is fed to the refrigeration system from a close-by well. Excess water from the circulation tank is piped to a creek running nearby.
An innovative change in the water feed by our plant manager led to energy savings both in electricity and water usage. This is part of the WDRA’s ‘green’ approach to doing things.
The new process would have a number of advantages:
• Reduce energy consumption by rerouting excess warm water into the 60 gallon electric water heaters thereby starting the warming cycle at 67 degrees rather than 40 degrees, two heaters that supply hot water for the Zamboni to flood the ice surface, with two more as back-up water heaters. The temperature of the water presently feeding the heaters is at 40 degrees C. The diverted water from the circulation tank would be piped into the adjacent room that houses the electric heaters. The water would be stored in three milk containers, to be pumped from there into the heaters as required. Excess water is used rather than flushed.
• The Zamboni requires 115 litres of water each ice-flood and is at risk of running out of hot water on a busy day as the two primary heaters can only supply three floods before a backup heater is needed.
• Replacing the two primary 60 gallon water heaters (208V) with one 100 gallon (600V, 3 phase) water heater warms the water faster than the 60 gallon heaters, saving energy, pay in one season and as well eliminate the need for back-ups.
• Once the 60 gallon heaters are removed from this system, they would be transferred to the shower room areas and installed on a 240V system, more efficient than a 208V one and save further on electricity. They also replaced the two heaters whose rental period recently expired, thus saving on monthly rental fees of $90.40 per month.
Project Cost:
(2) 100 gallon (600V) water heaters ($2300 each) $3100 (TIP)
Pump & pressure tank 500 +HST
(2) 250 gallon milk tanks 300 + HST
Miscellaneous 200 + HST
Total Cost $4230
