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Select low flow shower heads
Select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons (apx. 9.5 litres) per minute. This is considered standard for low flow shower heads. There are no firm definitions to what constitutes an ultra low flow shower head, but the consensus is that ultra low flow is achieved when 1.5 gallons (apx. 5.7 litres) per minute or less is used. There are two basic types of low-flow showerheads: aerating and laminar-flow. Aerating showerheads mix air with water, forming a misty spray. Laminar-flow showerheads form individual streams of water. If you live in a humid climate, you might want to use a laminar-flow shower head because it will not create as much steam and moisture as an aerating one. Benefits: Reduce (hot) water consumption Reduced costs for chemicals and water purification Savings: Water Natural Gas CO2 Web resources: NRDC: Make every drop count
Upgrade to sensor driven showers
After play, users often enter the dressing room and immediately turn on the showers and let them run for extended periods while taking off their equipment. This hot water is expensive and a waste of energy. Sensor water control technology is available for arenas to control the flow of water in showers. Instead of having to shut off the water manually when it’s not actively being used, the flow pauses automatically when the user steps away. When ready to rinse, the user steps back under the shower-head, and the water flow returns immediately, at the same pressure and temperature as before, allowing for an easy reduction in water consumption in the shower. User won’t be happy with sensor driven showers if the hot water doesn’t come on fast. Therefore high efficiency water heaters and on demand water heaters play an important role when it comes to sensor driven showers. Benefits: Use less (hot) […]
Use sensor driven faucets
Sensor driven faucets control water flow during demand and non-demand periods. Beyond that obvious benefit of water conservation, sensor driven faucets are designed to save over flow water damage. This is a big advantage in environments where people tend to leave the water running unnecessarily and where an unattended faucet can waste water and cause damage. Benefits: Hands free and easy to operate Helps to stop the spread of germs and bacteria Prevents water overflow with automatic turn off Better efficiency as they save on water usage Water temperatures can be preset to help prevent scalding injury Encourage public awareness and sustainable behaviour around water conservation Savings: Water Web resources: Kingston Invista Centre LEED certification
Install electric hand-dryers
Electric hand-dryers offer many benefits and savings, most of which are eliminated costs associated with paper towels. Many agree that electric hand dryers offer the optimal sanitary choice for hand drying. Hand dryers are so effective and researchers such as Meers and Leong have declared, there is no bacteriological reason to exclude electric hand-dryers from clinical areas. Benefits: Environmental friendly Washroom cleanliness Zero maintenance Savings: Paper waste Reduced water used to make paper towels, reduction in chemical use Web resources: Assessment of the bacterial contamination of hand air dryer in washrooms
Collect rainwater for flood water
Some arena operators collect rainwater outside their arena. Captured rainwater can be used in landscaping, toilets / urinals, for making and maintaining ice surfaces, and more. Using rainwater for making and resurfacing ice sheets is suitable in high rainfall communities. An NHL-size ice surface requires about 14978.55 gallons (56,700 litres) of water to make a 1.25” (3.12 cm) thick sheet of ice. It takes about 2” (5.08 cm) of water to build an ice sheet from scratch. Benefits: Decreases demand on local water supply Capture area can be added to unused arena space such as on arena roofs. Every 13,000 square foot (1,207.73 metres) section can capture more than 7925.16 gallons (30,000 litres) of rainwater Often less expensive than drilling a well Considerations: Rainfall storage – ensure enough space for rainwater collection and storage time Acceptable locations for downspouts and downspout intercepts Debris management Savings: Municipal water Web resources: Harvesting Rainwater […]
Dry shave your ice in the morning
Building an early-morning dry-shave into your routine cuts off the ruts in the ice and will reduce the amount of water being used throughout the day. That also helps keep the optimal ice thickness and therefore reduce the load on the refrigeration plant. Benefits: Improved ice quality with less gouges Less energy used Savings: Water Electricity CO2
Introduce bio plastics at concession
The scope of the world’s plastic problem is huge: it is estimated that up to 129 million tons (43%) of the plastic used per year is disposed of by landfill or incineration, and approximately 10 – 20 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans. The vast majority of these plastics today will never break down. Petroleum plastics may degrade into smaller pieces, but most won’t decompose or be absorbed by the surrounding environment. If you run a concession stand in your facility think about the amount of single-use plastics can be reduced or how the plastic packing could be replaced by durable bioplastics made from plant materials. This way energy and materials are conserved. Benefits: Reduce the amount of plastic that ends up being incinerated, remains in landfill, or pollutes oceans. Savings: Petroleum resource needed to make plastic Energy used to make the plastic Web resources: How sustainable are biodegradable and […]
Install automatic resurfacer water fill
There is a risk of water overflow in an arena’s ice resurfacing room. Traditionally ice resurfacing machines, when left unattended could overflow with hot or cold water, because the water was not shut off when the machine was full. This wasted water and natural gas (if the water is hot). Installing an automatic water filling system will prevent the ice resurfacer from overflowing. Systems are equipped with a remote sensor mounted on the resurfacer, a solenoid valve and a control unit. When the resurfacing tank is full and starts to overflow, the sensor detects it and sends a radio signal which is picked up by the control unit. The control unit then shuts off the hot or cold (see: resurfacing water treatment to use unheated water ) water valve. The system is automated and can be programmed for the size of the ice resurfacer’s tank. The arena operators can attend to other […]
Appoint an internal Energy Manager
Arenas can appoint an internal representative to research, analyze and implement effective programs and operations processes to create greener arenas. Internal Energy Managers can assess current policies (e.g. recycling) and collaborate with stakeholders (e.g. utilities, local governments, user groups and environmental professionals, etc.) to make suggestions for sustainable green initiatives at their arena and can help to tap in into funding sources for efficiency upgrade equipment. Energy Managers can use information systems to track, manage, benchmark, and report energy, water, waste, emissions and other sustainability data. Information systems can be installed that include automated data exchange services that synchronizes utility and building data directly with the Energy Manager’s portfolio. Information systems enhance long-term value by increasing arena occupancy and revenue, reduce the risk of obsolescence, and strengthening user loyalty, all while reducing emissions to protect the environment. Benefits: Dedicated person that looks at the whole facility to leverage initiatives and reach […]
Use recycled water
Arenas can use recycled water to make ice and for their cooling towers and lessen the demand on the local water source.
Maintain consistent pace resurfacing
When resurfacing the ice, driving at the same pace and watching the speed is crucial. None of the operators should go slower or faster anywhere as they shave the ice and apply water. It is important not to put down much water along the boards to prevent the ice building up too much. Going over creases shut of the water and raise the blade. Once past the crease, turn the water on again and lower the blade. 10 minutes should allow to do the ice and ensure a 5-minute window before the next user group is scheduled to be on the ice. Benefits: Optimized ice maintenance Good quality ice Savings: Water Web resources: Ice maintenance in Black Diamond, Alberta
Remove micro air bubbles from resurfacing water
Eliminate big parts of your water heating costs for your flood water and save 10% – 12% energy from your ice plant by lowering the temperature of the resurfacing water used on your ice pad. According to ASHRAE, 7% of an ice rink’s total energy use is due to domestic hot water that is used in the resurfacing process of the ice. The more impurities in water (both minerals and dissolved gas), the harder the refrigeration plant has to work before it will freezes. Local water sources with higher concentrations of salts of various kinds will have different freezing properties and if the concentration is elevated enough to lower the freezing temperature even further. More energy is required to lower that temperature, and the resulting ice will have poorer quality. To address these issues, most ice rinks heat the water to 140°F – 160°F to remove micro air bubbles before resurfacing the […]
Recycle water from snow melt pit
The Scott Seamen Sports Arena, M.D. of Foothills #31 in Alberta, Canada has taken their snow melt pit one step further and installed a system that recycles the ice shavings which are melted within the pit and then treated and stored in an outside retention tank. This water is then put directly back into the Zamboni for the next ice resurfacing. The arena is saving 60% of the water (300,000 gallons out of the previously 500,000 gallons) and $40,000 in hauling fees. This solution could be transferred to all indoor ice arenas for any municipality striving to be more responsible with its potable water resources. Besides using recycled (grey) water for ice resurfacing, it can be used in washroom toilets and urinals and for landscaping and irrigation. Benefits: Cutting potable water consumption by 60% Safeguarding the community’s potable water supply Savings: Water Cost CO2 Web resources: Harvesting Floodwater from the Snow Melt Pit M.D. of […]
Optimize ice thickness
Finding the optimal thickness of the ice and the thickness of the concrete slab beneath are critical factors in refrigeration efficiency. Ice and the concrete act as insulators, resisting the transfer of heat to the refrigeration system. If the ice is too thick, it will dramatically increase compressor load and energy costs. The thicker the ice and concrete, the harder it is for the refrigeration system to maintain a desired ice surface temperature. Each additional 1 inch (25.4 mm) of ice adds approximately 10,000 kWh/yr to the required energy to maintain the ice surface. Vigorous skating during a typical hockey practice will damage ice that is too thin. It will also require more resurfacings. On the other hand, thick ice is inefficient because it increases the energy requirements of the refrigeration system. Most rink facilities maintain their ice thickness between 1 1/4” (apx. 3.2 cm) to 1 1/2” (apx. 3.8 cm) as […]
Mount waterless urinals
Every flush at a urinal takes about 1 gallon (apx. 3.8 litres) of fresh water, given there is no other water supply such as grey water reclaimed from other parts of the building or rainwater that is used. Waterless technology for urinals is available and its primary benefit is not using water to flush. There are also low flushing urinals available that may provide additional savings over the high water use fixtures of the past. But, waterless urinals definitely take the water savings much further. Waterless urinals don’t flush, they drain by gravity. Their outflow pipes connect to a building’s existing plumbing system. Besides the water savings, with waterless urinals, no limescale is deposited within the plumbing. Deodorization is the number one maintenance issue that waterless urinals face. However, filters, urinal blocks and other deodorization methods can control how the urine is disposed of during the draining process. With waterless urinals, there is […]