For the last couple of weeks, the local Nicola Valley Memorial Arena has been a ‘hotbed’ of activity as a new heating system is being installed in time for the upcoming hockey season.
The $50,000 project, which is expected to come in under budget and be completed on time, will see a replacement of the old system with the newest technology in infrared radiant heating.
“With the new system, we’re expecting that we’ll be eligible for gas tax funding,” City of Merritt leisure services manager Larry Plotnikoff said. “It could mean a zero-cost project when all is said and done.”
The design and engineering of the new system was done by Energy Wise Distributors Ltd. out of Vancouver, while the actual installation is being handled by Merritt-based Copper Valley Mechanical.
“It should be a big improvement,” Copper Valley owner Graham Whitecross said.
The new system will be more efficient, produce more heat (100,000 to 125,000 BTU per unit, up from 80,000) and provide much more even heat distribution, Whitecross said.
Aesthetically, the heating units have been raised higher above the seating to eliminate blind spots, specifically for broadcasters, and further enhance the distribution of heat.
The new system will also extend down to the end of the arena where a beer garden is run during Merritt Centennials hockey games.
Finally, three sections or zones of the arena will have a coin-operated system in place so that patrons can initiate on-demand heat while they watch winter-time sporting activities such as minor hockey, rec hockey and public skating.
