What if cooling allowed for better heating?

The heat recovered from the refrigeration compressors helped heat the bleachers of the two skating rinks, as well as the physical conditioning rooms, squash courts, conference rooms, offices, and the café-restaurant. It also contributed to producing domestic hot water, running the Zamboni, and to melting snow in the indoor pit.

Complementing the natural gas heating, the heat recovery helped maximize energy consumption efficiently during peak periods. The result – savings of 88,157 m³ of natural gas a year, equivalent to 166.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. And, of course, energy bills were reduced to a minimum.

“As well as being efficient, the system is very simple to manage. It automatically detects temperature variations and coordinates the appliances accordingly,” proudly says Josée Beauchemin, Director General and Co-owner of the complex that opened in August 2015.

Josée Beauchemin confesses that she might never have made this decision without the help of Énergir’s energy efficiency program. “It was a significant outlay, and we wondered if we would ever get a return on our investment. But the grants encouraged us in our decision.
 
“The experts from Énergir worked with us from A to Z in designing the system and in requesting a grant,” says Mrs. Beauchemin. “In addition to getting the comfort of natural gas, we got sound advice to optimize its use.”

Read on the new efficient construction program