Mighty Ducks Arena
Albert Lea, MN
Hockey players and figure skaters were making full use of a single ice rink in the town of Albert Lea, MN, and there was pressure to add a second ice rink to the facility.
There was a concern that adding the second sheet of ice would put too much pressure on the city's recreation budget.
The rink operator, however, had just seen the integrated geothermal refrigeration/HVAC system installed in the new rink in Cambridge, MN .
The city councilors realized that the cost of building a second rink was only a small part of owning the facility over the 40-50 year life of the building, especially with the cost of natural gas rising rapidly.
The addition of the second sheet increased the energy cost of the complex by only about 35%.
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