HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSD-2026-055 - City of Kitchener Arena Cold Water Ice Business CaseStaff Report
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Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee
DATE OF MEETING: February 9, 2026
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Marie Cipriani, Corporate Sustainability Officer, 519-783-8970
PREPARED BY: Fionnula Wade, Sustainability Advisor, 519-707-1464
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Ward(s)
DATE OF REPORT: January 23, 2026
REPORT NO.: DSD -2026-055
SUBJECT: City of Kitchener Arena Cold Water Ice Business Case
For Information
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
• The purpose of this report is to present the findings of a pilot which ran from May 2024
to May 2025 at Sportsworld Arena; whereby cold water was used instead of hot water
to make arena ice
• Highlights of the business case include a 5% reduction in energy consumption, with
annual cost savings of approximately $6,255 and 3.5 years payback; while
maintaining quality ice and user experience.
• Attachment A includes a one-page summary and video.
• Community engagement included staff presentation and discussion with Kitchener's
Climate Change and Environment Committee during their September 2025 committee
meeting as well as engaging arena users to obtain feedback on user experience.
• This report supports Cultivating a Green City Together: Focuses a sustainable path to
a greener, healthier city; enhancing & protecting parks & natural environment while
transitioning to a low -carbon future; supporting businesses & residents to make climate -
positive choices.
BACKGROUND:
Arenas are the City of Kitchener's most energy intense facility type. Ice making is an energy
intensive practice especially because hot water is traditionally used. The business case that
follows completes Action #14 of Pivot: Net -Zero, and supports the implementation of
Kitchener's 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.
Sportsworld Arena is a twin pad arena constructed in 2000 and purchased by the City of
Kitchener in 2010. It is one of 8 City owned arenas and has consistently had the highest
energy intensity per square foot across municipally owned arenas in the region of Waterloo.
The purpose of this business case was to pilot and monitor the transition to using cold,
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deaerated water for ice making while monitoring any changes in operations, ice quality, user
experience, and energy efficiency over a full calendar year (May 2024 to May 2025).
REPORT:
Building and maintaining ice is anticipated to become more challenging as the local climate
changes. In this region daytime highs are getting higher as are the lows, and overnight
temperatures are not anticipated to be dropping as we have typically come to expect. Arenas
(as a municipal facility type) are the most energy demanding of all City of Kitchener assets.
City of Kitchener arenas account for approximately 15% of the City of Kitchener's corporate
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and natural gas accounts for the most carbon intense
fuel type used in arenas. Burning of fossil fuels like natural gas to meet energy needs creates
GHG emissions (CO2, NH4 etc.) which contribute to climate change.
Reduced Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Water temperature
Hot water with a temperature of 60°C - 71'C (140°F - 160°F) is traditionally used to make
and resurface arena ice because it lacks trapped air that is found in cold water. In other
words, heating up water effectively deaerates it. The benefit of using deaerated water for
ice resurfacing is that it refreezes smoother and creates a stronger bond with the existing
ice surface. Further, hot water quickly melts the surface of the ice to smooth any
imperfections not taken care of during the scraping or washing process.
Although hot water has been the preferred method for ice making for many years, it is
incredibly energy intensive to heat the amount of water required, which is reflected in natural
gas consumption at City of Kitchener arenas. During hockey tournaments ice may need to
be resurfaced as many as 30 times in one day — with only one flood using up to 500 L of
water. Deaerating flood water mechanically, rather than thermally, has proven to be an
effective and less energy intensive alternative for ice making and resurfacing.
In February 2024, a mechanical deaerator unit was installed at Sportsworld Arena. After the
installation of the unit, the average temperature for ice maintenance has been reduced to
approximately 17.5°C (63.5°F), which is a 60% temperature decrease from traditional
methods. While utility consumption was not sub -metered, data for the facility shows that
both natural gas and electricity usage at Sportsworld Arena decreased by approximately 5%
since the installation of the mechanical deaerator.
With a decrease in natural gas and electricity usage, comes a decrease in GHG emissions.
When comparing emissions from the project period to baseline emissions (pre installation),
a total decrease of 14 tonnes of CO2 equivalents (tCO2e) have been observed at
Sportsworld Arena. Natural gas emissions have reduced by 12 tCO2e while electricity has
reduced by 2 tCO2e.
Compressor
While the observed decrease in electricity usage may be a result of several factors, it is
anticipated that it is in part a result of installing the mechanical deaerator. Arena ice pads
are built on concrete that is kept cool using a refrigeration system which pumps glycol
through a network of pipes, effectively removing any heat from the ice. With the use of
deaerated cold water, the average ice surface temperature has increased slightly, and the
application of hot water has been eliminated, therefore the compressor does not need to run
as often, resulting in less electricity used to power the refrigeration system compressor.
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Decreased load on the dehumidification system is another added benefit. The use of
deaerated cold -water results in the reduction of humidity inside the arena, therefore reducing
the load on the dehumidification system, resulting in further energy use reductions.
Ice Surface and Ambient Air Temperatures
Ice surface temperature is another parameter that has changed because of transitioning to
cold water for ice making. Traditionally, the ice surface temperature was kept around
-6°C/ -5.5°C (21 °F/220F). Due to the decrease in water temperature being used to flood the
ice rink in between programming, the overall surface temperature of the ice rink was able to
be increased by approximately 1.7°C (40F), with a new average ice surface temperature of
-3.8°C (25°F). These increases in temperature reduce the load on the refrigeration system
and dehumidification system, resulting in energy savings.
As a result of the increased ice surface temperatures, the indoor ambient air temperature
has also been increased slightly. The exact indoor ambient air temperature at Sportsworld
Arena pre -mechanical deaerator installation was not recorded, however staff have indicated
that the temperature has increased. The average ambient air temperature since installing
the mechanical deaerator unit is 10°C (50°F).
No Changes to Maintenance Schedules and Programming
Prior to the installation of the mechanical deaerator, potential challenges were identified by
staff and monitored as part of this business case. The first concern noted was if increased
time would be required to fill the ice resurfacing tank due to decreased water pressure
flowing from the mechanical deaerator, therefore requiring shifts in workflow and ice flooding
schedules. Staff also noted the potential for increased ice making and flooding time due to
decreased water pressure from the boom sprayer on the ice resurfacer. To track these
changes and identify any issues to maintenance schedules, staff at Sportsworld Arena
tracked the following metrics over the course of a year:
• Time it takes to refill the ice re -surfacer tank
• Mechanical deaerator water temperature
• Mechanical deaerator unit pressure (PSI), prior to fill and during filling
• Ice surface temperature for both the spectator and practice rinks
• Brine supply for spectator and practice rink
• Indoor ambient air temperature
• Indoor relative humidity
Typically, floods are scheduled at 10 minutes to the hour on the practice rink, and 5 minutes
after the hour on the spectator rink. This can change depending on programming, such as
tournaments and league games with second period floods for example. Arena staff tracked
the time it took to fill the ice resurfacer at least once a day during the monitoring period and
indicated that the average fill time was 5.8 minutes.
The data collected on maintenance and programming indicates that while this approach to
ice making differs from traditional methods, arena staff are still able to provide the same
level of quality service to arena users as previous years.
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Ice Quality
Over the course of the pilot project year, staff received positive feedback regarding the ice
quality at Sportsworld Arena from arena users. Feedback received from staff and arena
users includes:
• Creates good quality ice that freezes clear, smooth and hard
• Ice is easier on skating blades, resulting in less frequent sharpening of blades
(approximately 5-10 hours longer)
• Ambient air temperature and relative humidity in the arena is easier to keep at a
comfortable temperature for spectators
• Staff have observed that it is easier to build/re-build the ice
• Water softeners require less salt
Cost Savings
The decrease in energy consumption at Sportsworld Arena resulted in a cost reduction of
$6,255 the first year. With the estimated annual savings, this project has a payback period
of approximately 3.5 years. If the mechanical deaerator operates for the advertised lifespan
of 25 years, there are potential savings of up to $134,482, following the initial payback
period.
In 2024 the City of Kitchener Project Manager Facilities Energy Management led a grant
application to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) Save on Energy Retrofit
Program to support the transition of ice making at Sportsworld Arena to deaerated water.
The grant application for this electrical demand reduction was successful and the City
received $14,789.97. The impact of this funding reduced the costs of procuring the product
by 49%.
Scaling
This business case has shown that the installation of a mechanical deaerator at Sportsworld
arena has resulted in energy efficiency and cost savings without compromising ice quality
or user experience. Since initiation of this project, a mechanical deaerator has been installed
at two additional City of Kitchener arenas including: Activa Sportsplex and Lions Arena.
In considering the scaling of this technology to single pad arenas it is important to note that
the energy and cost savings would be roughly half of what was observed in this business
case. GHG emission savings would be a total of 7 tCO2e each year. And the payback period
would be closer to 11.5 years.
The cost of the mechanical deaerator has recently increased by approximately 33%. This
increase may correspond to an increase in demand and/or the impacts of incentives being
offered by Enbridge. Incentives are supportive to reducing capital costs. The remaining City
of Kitchener facilities are located within Kitchener Utilities' territory. Incentives will be
available in Kitchener Utilities' service territory for each arena. Kitchener Utilities will review
each application when the gas savings are calculated to determine the incentive amount.
Scaling this technology across other facilities is complex and may include considerations
beyond that which were included in the pilot.
This business case is supportive to making data informed decisions. To support sharing this
story, Attachment A includes a one -pager and video about this pilot and business case.
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STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports Cultivating a Green City Together: Focuses a sustainable path to a
greener, healthier city; enhancing & protecting parks & natural environment while
transitioning to a low -carbon future; supporting businesses & residents to make climate -
positive choices.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Capital Budget — The recommendation has no impact on the Capital Budget.
Operating Budget — The recommendation has no impact on the Operating Budget.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of
the committee meeting. Community engagement included presentation and discussion with
Kitchener's Climate Change and Environment Committee during their September 2025
committee meeting. Throughout the pilot, staff engaged with arena users to obtain feedback
on ice quality. The business case materials, including a one-page summary document, and
video will be shared with the public through the City's website and social media channels.
PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES:
There are no previous reports/authorities related to this matter.
APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager Development Services
Denise McGoldrick, General Manager Infrastructure Services
Michael May, General Manager of Community Services and Deputy
Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A — One Page Summary: Arenas Cold Water Ice Business Case
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Business Case: Cold WaterArena Ice
Making
Sportsworld Arena is a twin pad arena constructed in 2000 and purchased by the City of
Kitchener in 2010. It is one of 8 City owned arenas and has consistently had the highest
energy intensity per sq. ft. among municipally owned arenas in Waterloo Region.
Traditional ice making is an energy intensive practice primarily due to the use of hot
water. Hot water is used because it contains less dissolved air than cold water, resulting
in better ice quality.
This business case tested the use of cold water and a mechanical deaerator at
Sportsworld Arena. The pilot ran for a full calendar year (May 2024 to May 2025).
The results are increased energy efficiency, cost savings, lower emissions, while
maintaining quality ice and user experience.
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Watch the video
5% reduction in
energy consumption
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What users are saying
"I view it as a net win with better ice
and... costs driven down." — City staff.
"It feels smooth... nice and hard... with
just enough give" — Kitchener resident
and skater.
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