Reclaiming waste heat from ice rinks’ refrigeration systems to save energy

Ice rink operation is mainly focused on the following energy systems: refrigeration, heating, dehumidification, lighting and ventilation. The refrigeration system is the largest energy consumer in ice rinks (40 to 65%) and therefore represents the most significant potential for savings. In most conventional ice rinks, refrigeration accounts for 43% of energy use and heating for around 26%. [1, 2] Studies have demonstrated that optimising the heat recovery process, where the rejected heat is instead used to contribute to meeting the facility’s heating needs, is by far the biggest energy-saving measure. It has been shown that when an ice rink has a well-designed heat recovery system, it may even be self-sufficient on its own heat.