Energy crisis: Explode costs in the ice rink - President with a gloomy forecast
Created: 09/20/2022, 22:44
By: Doris Schmid
Home for around 250 children and young people: the Heinz-Schneider Ice Stadium in Geretsried.
The first team of the ESC River Rat plays in the Bayernliga, the highest amateur league in Bavarian ice hockey.
© Hans Lippert
The operating costs for the Heinz-Schneider ice rink rose this year from 120,000 to 323,000 euros.
The city covers the deficit - albeit with gnashing of teeth.
Geretsried
– Ice sports are expensive for the city of Geretsried: the renovation of the Heinz-Schneider ice rink cost over twelve million euros.
Now the operating costs are exploding.
This year they are almost three times as high, as was made clear at the most recent meeting of the city council's main and finance committee.
They increase from 120,000 euros to 323,000 euros.
A sum that the ESC River Rats cannot raise alone.
The association had therefore applied for an increase in the subsidy.
The committee confirmed this with grudging teeth – with the exception of the Greens representatives.
Energy crisis: costs for the ice rink are increasing - the deficit is "unrecoverable"
The ice rink is operated by the ESC Sportstadion association.
As the leaseholder, he passes on the operating costs to the ESC River Rats as the tenant and main user of the stadium.
He uses it nine months a year.
The cost of a training hour has increased from 70 to 190 euros.
The resulting deficit of a good 200,000 euros cannot be earned, according to the application from the club, which is financially supported by the city as part of sports promotion.
High electricity costs: Complicated technology in the ice rink requires a lot of energy
When asked by our newspaper, ESC President Thomas Ranft explains how the massive increase in operating costs came about.
On the one hand, the ice stadium is a technically very complex building with an air conditioning system that cools the air above the ice and heats it in the stands.
"It's a relatively complicated process," says Ranft.
"And that drives up the costs." On the other hand, the corona-related closure led to a loss of income.
"You also have to consider that," says the ESC President.
"Now we are running into the next crisis with the incredibly high energy costs."
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The operating association and sports club have jointly made the decision to start ice preparation and thus also training on the ice "later than many other stadiums", according to a statement.
"We have already brought forward the date for the end of the season."
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Furthermore, the operating association has been optimizing the systems for many years.
Together with engineers and IT specialists, it was possible to optimize the refrigeration systems, which have been in service since 2003, to such an extent that "better performance development with low operating costs became possible".
In order to save more electricity: Opportunities for saving energy are being examined
In order to save more electricity, "the ice temperatures are adjusted upwards".
The operating association wants to arrange the ice occupancy in such a way that there are as few idle times as possible.
The lights in the stadium have been completely converted to LED technology.
It is planned to connect the hall to a service water supply and to explore the possibilities of photovoltaics.
Thomas Ranft, President of the ESC.
© MM Archive
Both clubs are aware that ice sports consume significantly more energy than most other sports.
"We are working intensively on solutions for how we can implement further energy savings in the short term," they assure in their letter.
"In the medium term, we want to invest in increasing energy efficiency or generating our own energy."
Read the latest news from Geretsried here.
ESC President Ranft hopes that his nine teams will be able to finish the – shortened – season.
"Whether we will succeed is in the stars." Because: The energy supplier announced that prices will rise.
According to Ranft, electricity costs will quadruple from January 1st.
"But it doesn't just affect us, it also affects indoor swimming pools and sports halls in the republic," says Ranft.
Energy crisis: Are sports facilities generally closed?
He regrets that there is no information from the association.
He wants to approach politics and seek dialogue, because up until now it has not been known what ideas are out there.
"It may be that the state parliament or the Bundestag decides that the sports facilities are closed," speculates Ranft.
"If we close the stadium, the sport will be dead for the time being. It will take years for it to be rebuilt." Now it is up to politicians.
Because: "There's a lot coming up for sport."
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