Riverview Curling Club, Brandon, MB

In 1993, the Riverview Curling Club in Brandon wanted to install air conditioning and replace the heating system in the lounge of their 4-sheet curling club.

They made the decision to replace the gas furnace with a geothermal heat pump. Three years later, the club was faced with the cost of replacing the chiller barrel of their ice plant and rebuilding the compressor. The board of directors decided instead to replace their ice plant with two Ice Kube water-to-water heat pumps.  They also opted to replace a second gas furnace and the gas unit heaters in the ice area with geothermal heat pumps. The club was also experiencing problems with high humidity in the ice shed during startup.

The cost of repairing the existing ice plant, installing a dehumidification system for the ice area, replacing the gas furnaces and adding air conditioning was estimated at $70,000. The cost of installing the integrated system to make ice, dehumidify the ice area, and heat and cool the building was $106,000, including the cost of drilling the vertical earth loop beside the club.

The existing concrete floor was left in place. The header was replaced and the existing rink pipe was connected to it. The salt brine was replaced with methanol antifreeze.

Since the installation of the integrated system, the maintenance costs have virtually disappeared and energy costs have averaged $13,000 per year. The club has been able to generate additional revenue because air conditioning is available in the lounge area. The air-conditioning system is able to cool the entire ice area during the off-season. The icemaker is able to maintain better ice conditions as a direct result of the dehumidifier that was added to the system.

With the conventional system, the icemaker was required to monitor the refrigerant pressures several times per day. This took about 1½ hours per day. Since the installation of the integrated geothermal system, that time has been available for other maintenance of the building. At the beginning and end of each season, the club called a service technician to start up the system properly, at a cost of approximately $1,200 annually (if no repairs were needed). These start up procedures were eliminated with the Ice Kube System, since start up is as simple as turning on the power to the units, which is based on the club's schedule rather than the service company's.

Comments from the club: “The Ice Kube System has lowered operating costs. It's been easier to control ice and building temperatures, and the system has been very reliable and easy to operate and start-up. Virtually no maintenance has been required since installation. We would definitely recommend the system to other curling clubs and hockey rinks.”