“Many visitors come from France, Belgium and Germany, because there are few ice rinks in the surroundings because of the costs necessary for setting them up”. The words are from Kockelscheuer’s rink manager, but what is Lex Fautsch’s secret? Due to energy restrictions linked to the rise in fuel, gas and electricity prices, small ice rinks are rather rare during the end-of-year celebrations in Luxembourg.

“Our ice rink is still running with energy”, confirms Lex Fautsch. “We cannot do without energy, but we are doing everything to reduce our consumption. At the level of gas, on a reduction of 30%. We have to use all the good engineering tips to get there. We reduced the heating, we found a ventilation system to reduce the humidity in the air entering the room. With all of these instruments, we can already make good use of energy consumption”.

“We have also reduced the temperature in the halls”, continues the director of the ice rink. “We are currently running between six and eight degrees in ambient temperature, which is not too pleasant, but it is one of the disadvantages. It is also a way of saving energy”.

The cold has gradually returned to Luxembourg in recent days, but contrary to what one might think, the excessively mild temperatures at the start of winter are not a positive thing for an ice rink. “With our ventilation systems, it’s a constant battle,” admits Lex Fautsch, “because we try to reduce the humidity in the air to prevent condensation in the room. It’s very energy intensive. Concretely, when there is less humidity, we turn off the dehumidification system to reduce consumption”.