Using Smart Cooling Technology To Reduce Water Usage
Water is a diminishing resource. According to a recent UN report, the frequency and duration of droughts around the world have increased by a third since 2000. It states that the climate crisis is fueling this increase and things are likely to get worse: by 2050, more than 75% of the world’s population could be facing water shortages. Right now, humanity is “at a crossroads,” the report concludes, and action to preserve water and mitigate future droughts is urgently required.
The province of Alberta in western Canada is no exception to the trend. “Many Albertans believe this province has an abundant supply of freshwater, but in some parts of the province, [...] water scarcity is already a reality,” says the province’s website. 2021 saw one of the worst droughts in living memory in Alberta, with a major impact on crops.
In response, Alberta is doing its best to save water through education and local initiatives. The town of Stony Plain, not far from the city of Edmonton, is a typical example. Its environmental stewardship strategy has targeted a reduction in municipal and community water consumption of 20% in the next 20 years. It’s key to Stony Plain’s future sustainability.
In line with this goal, the town’s Glenn Hall Centennial Arena ice rink looked at ways to reduce its own use of water. Skating is an integral and important part of Canadian culture: a survey found that 92% of Canadian parents believe it’s a basic skill that all children should have the opportunity to learn.
“I was on skates by the time I was two years old, and the same with my kids,” says David Fauser, Director of Sales at CIMCO Refrigeration in Toronto. “Skating is part of everyday life in Canada.”
Like Güntner, CIMCO is a company that’s committed to supporting and promoting sustainability in the refrigeration and cooling industry, which meant it was the ideal choice to help the arena with its water reduction plan. The key to this, Fauser says, was to replace the existing evaporative condenser in the arena’s cooling system with a Güntner V-shape VARIO Condenser with hydroBLU™. This intelligent adiabatic condenser employs smart technology, so it only uses water when the ambient temperature requires it. Temperature, water, and electricity consumption are all monitored by a aicore™ air controller, which automatically adjusts the operating mode to meet the system’s needs.
As Fauser says, “If you can offer a solution that does everything the previous solution does but also conserves water, that makes great sense for clients.”
One year on, the installation of the new Güntner Condenser has resulted in a remarkable 98% water savings, compared with the former evaporative condenser. There have also been significant savings in energy expenditure and operating costs.
But as Jascha Heynck, Director of Sales – Refrigeration at Güntner, points out, it’s not only in areas currently or historically affected by drought where saving water is important. Wherever we live, we need to do all we can to try to preserve this precious resource, and that means adopting new solutions that have been proven to make a difference.