Skating on artificial ice seemed to be a thing of the past for a while, because the rising energy prices cause a lot of uncertainty at artificial ice rinks during the holidays. The coolers that are supposed to keep the skating rinks cool are consuming energy. Yet saving energy is indeed possible, they discovered at the Bergs Winterparadijs in Bergen op Zoom. “With extra measures we now save about thirty to forty percent,” says organizer Jos Roels.
Many temporary ice rinks have been covered for a number of years, so that the cold stays inside and coolers don’t have to cool as hard. But with this winter’s energy prices, covering only is no longer enough, they also discovered in Bergen op Zoom.
“We doubted for a while whether it could continue.”
“The rise in prices recently was something to swallow,” says Roels. “In about four months, prices rose so much that we doubted whether it could continue.”
The organization installed a new, energy-efficient cooler and they insulated the pipes under the ice rink. They closed the space under the ice rink, so that the often warmer wind cannot pass under the rink. This keeps the track cold better and requires less energy to keep it frozen. They now save between thirty and forty percent on energy costs.
Finally, the ice will be less thick than in previous years. About two centimeters less, Jos points out. Because less ice also means less cooling, and that saves money.
Whether all ice rinks will succeed in reducing energy costs is not certain. That depends on whether the various organizations can afford these kinds of innovations.
In addition, the energy contracts and therefore the price of the energy differ per location. If a new contract has to be concluded this year or next year, there may still be ice rinks that cannot keep their heads above water.
The Winterparadijs in Den Bosch already announced in October that their event with an ice rink will not take place. Partly because of inflation and high energy costs.
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