Anyone have any idea as to what it costs to keep a hockey rink frozen?
I would imagine it depends a lot on local conditions; how well insulated the facility is, what the outdoor temperature is, and local utility rates.
I couldn’t tell you for a hockey rink, but I could try to find out what it is at my curling club.
I don’t know about the costs just to keep the rink frozen, but the total electric cost for a rink I know of (including snack bar, lighting, A/C, etc) was USD 83kin 2014. The rink area is kept very cold (50F). I’m on the board of the organization that runs the rink as well as other facilities.
The rink is only open about 8.5 months in the year. I imagine if it was open Jun-Jul-Aug it would be a lot more because we’d need to air-condition the building to 55F or so, in addition to freezing the rink itself.
About half the electric usage is the “compressor” whatever that means.
I’d guess the compressor for the refrigeration system under the ice surface, though it might also be the compressor in the air conditioning system.
How many kWh is that? I know you’re not paying residential rates, but a back of the envelope calculation for me to pay that much in electricity would be something like 640,000 kWh. That’s a lot of power.