Kitchener cools down its costs with cold water for ice rinks

The City of Kitchener is seeing the benefit of pouring cold water on a good idea.

A pilot project is aiming to reduce the cost of maintaining its ice rinks. A staff report coming to councillors lays out the business case and benefits of a one-year trial of using cold water instead of hot water at Sportsworld Arena.

The report pointed out how water heated up to 60 C is typically used because it gets the air out of the water for a smoother surface, both for making and resurfacing arena ice.

But a mechanical deaerator unit was installed at Sportsworld Arena in February 2024.

In the first year of using deaerated cold water, the city saw $6,255 in savings.

The report projected the use of cold water would pay for itself in 3.5 years, and if the mechanical deaerator operates for its expected 25-year lifespan, the city could save another $134,482.

And it meant keeping 14 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions out of the environment.

Further, using cold water maintained both the quality of the ice and the user experience.

The report said, “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.”

And that Sportsworld Arena “is one of eight city-owned arenas and has consistently had the highest energy intensity per square foot across municipally owned arenas in the region of Waterloo.”

The cold water pilot project ran from May 2024 to May 2025.

The report is set to be presented at Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting on February 9.