Dover Ice Arena's recent upgrade is energy efficient

Jul 20, 2010 — Foster's Daily Democrat

Mike Whaley

Jul. 20, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- DOVER -- The Dover Ice Arena, thanks to a recent upgrade, has improved its energy efficiency as part of a citywide project to improve energy consumption in various city buildings.

According to Dover Arena manager Pat McNulty, the total cost of the project was $1.84 million, of which $820, 667 was earmarked for the arena.

What is included in the arena portion, according to McNulty, are new electric compressors and chillers, which are used to produce refrigeration for the cooling of the floors; a new dehumidification unit that dries the moisture in the air, a low emissivity ceiling that deflects UV rays and heat they create to keep the building from warming; a lightning retrofit that now allows the arena to use two lamps instead of three in fixtures; water reducers in all the showers and sinks, weatherization installed on all the doors leading to the rinks and outside, and sensors that shut lights off when areas in the building are not busy with activity.

The citywide project was done by Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI PRZ) (NYSE:JCI) and the arena was close down for five weeks in June and early July. The arena, which operates year round, was up and running on July 6 to accommodate its heavy summer program schedule.

McNulty also said that the boards on the Foster Rink were moved in to save energy. there are two rinks in the arena and the Holt Rink is used year round for skating and/or hockey purposes.

"(The arena) is the biggest energy consumer in the city," said Recreation Director Gary Bannon. "The compressors were 30 years old. We're making the building more efficient. We've got better equipment to work with to operate better."

According to McNulty, the energy work on the arena will result in a 6.2-year pay back on the investment.

With the new improved energy systems, Dover Arena Program and Marketing Supervisor Ray Pasquale said the time to make ice has been reduced dramatically.

"It used to take a day and a half and now it takes less than seven hours," he said. "With the energy savings, we can increase the profitability. With more efficient machinery, we can reduce the operating budget by $60-70,000 a year. We're self-sufficient and we bring a lot to the community. The people of Dover should be proud of that

"We're proud of what we have here," Bannon added. "We have one of the best arena facilities in the region. We have plenty to offer."

Pasquale said the arena is already seeing a savings during the recent heat wave.

"We normally operate on three compressors," he said. "We're operating on one. It's amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing our energy bill for July. I want to compare it to last July's bill."

Newstex ID: KRTB-1268-47121216