The public sector is facing major challenges. When it comes to air conditioning at facilities, there is great potential for achieving a successful combination of optimum use, energy savings, and reduced costs. Replacing old belt-driven centrifugal fans at a speed skating rink in Berlin with a FanGrid with efficient EC fans is an impressive example of this.

Circulating and dehumidifying air
Athletes count on perfect conditions, such as flawless, smooth ice. For this, the climate in the hall must be constantly cool and dry. No easy task, as the capacity utilization of the hall is very different, causing temperature fluctuations. "To ensure that the difference between the ice and ambient temperature does not lead to condensation or mist formation, there must be a constant temperature of eight degrees Celsius in the rink," explains Sven Kuwatsch, technical manager of the Sportforum. The technical area of the speed skating rink contains three identical ventilation systems from Munters GmbH.

Belt-driven centrifugal fans: loud, inefficient, rusty
The systems were installed in 1998 and have been serviced regularly ever since. But after 25 years of use in the tough conditions of an ice rink, the large belt-driven centrifugal fans for the supply and exhaust air in particular were completely worn out, rusty, loud and, most notably, very inefficient. Daniel Bürgel therefore suggested that the systems be brought up to date with state-of-the-art technology by performing a retrofit. The customer service advisor from Munters works closely with ventilation specialist Breuell und Hilgenfeldt GmbH, which, as an ebm‑papst service center, uses highly efficient EC fans.

The latest generation of RadiPac – more efficient, quieter, smarter
The old individual fans for each process air unit were each replaced with one FanGrid with three centrifugal fans from ebm‑papst's latest RadiPac generation. They provide the solution to more demanding legal requirements and fulfill customers’ desires to save more and more energy as well as money. In addition, the centrifugal fans are extremely quiet, intelligent, and incredibly user-friendly as a plug-and-play solution.

Energy savings of over 50 percent
Initial measurements after replacing the supply and exhaust air fans showed total energy savings of 52 percent for the system. With an assumed operating time of 5,000 hours per year, the savings amount to around 120,000 kWh per year – at an electricity price of 25 cents, this equates to around 30,000 euros. This retrofit is an important step for the Sportforum on its path to a smaller environmental footprint.