Facility:

City Arena – Albert Lea, Minnesota

• 85’-200’ ice sheet

• 3,000-square-foot rink perimeter with spectator seating

• 4,000-square-foot locker rooms

• 200 square feet of shop

• 1,300 square feet of hallways

• Zamboni snow pit

Geothermal heat pump system:

• 120-ton system with six IceKube units.

• Computerized controls with staging of pumps in groups of two with unit and ice temperature requirements.

Geothermal loop system:

• Horizontal slinky loops installed eight feet deep

• 10 three-horsepower loop pumps

Annual cost savings:

Use of geothermal, foil ceiling and waste heat displacing natural gas reduced the first-year energy bill for the total complex by $2,141.

At a glance:

• Foil ceilings used in new and existing rinks.

• Installation uses a cold buffer layer of pipes 12” on center, 14” below the ice. Ten inches below buffer layer, and surrounding perimeter, is 2.5” of rigid insulation.

• Buffer allows for faster freezing at surface, cold storage for peak demand reduction or power outages, and reserve chilling for dehumidification.

Recommendation:

“Takes up less space, runs quieter and gives dry, heated locker rooms and halls – plus warm seats in old competition rink.”

Engineering:

Energy Efficient Engineering Group – Winnipeg, Manitoba

General contractor:

Larson Contracting – Lake Mills, Iowa

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