A building control system from Priva Building Intelligence is helping a Dutch football club to successfully manage its energy consumption. Abe Lenstra stadium is home to SC Heerenveen, which plays in the Eredivisie, the Dutch Premier Division. The stadium has a seating capacity of 26,000, and in addition houses a multifunctional sports hall, swimming pool and squash courts.
Energy conservation is a major priority, as Rink Hendriksma, Technical Manager for Sportstad Heerenveen explains: “Care of the environment is the priority here and it has driven the management team to create the most economical energy-saving system in the northern Netherlands. Compared to conventional energy installations we consume 45% less energy and cause 40% fewer CO2 emissions.” These savings have been achieved through a mix of heat pump technology that utilises underground heat and precise control of the building services via the Priva building control system.
The stadium requires 5MW of heating and 5MW of cooling, with the option of a further 2MW. Electrical consumption averages 8 million kWh a year and gas consumption is at 1,200m3 a year, while water consumed during a football match is around 100m3.
The site is continually evolving and the most recent growth has been in the creation of office space on the north and west side of the complex. The initial office development covers an area of 30,000m2, but total capacity could see up to 60,000m2 of commercial space.
Commenting on the ease of using the Priva system, Rink Hendriksma said: “At the front end of the control system are Priva TC Vision and TC Webvision that provide a valuable insight to building services plant and equipment operation and energy consumptions figures. The software is extremely user-friendly and I also like the fact that you can download updates from the Internet and do not have to install anything locally yourself. They are freely programmable systems and the web version of Priva Top Control is ideal. If required, my colleague and I can monitor the installations from home; I have an UMTS card in my laptop so I can even check things out during the holidays if I wish.”
Sportstad Heerenveen supplies heating, cooling, power and water to all the tenants. Some 150 measuring points have been installed around the complex. The meter readings are taken monthly and the data saved in the history database of the Priva Top Control building control system. The system is linked to the Erbis energy monitoring software from Van Beek Ingenieurs, part of the Priva Group. Based on the rates entered, Erbis calculates the energy costs for electricity (peak/off-peak), gas, water, cooling (peak/off-peak) and heat.
As the Abe Lenstra Stadium clearly demonstrates, no matter how large the complex and how variable its use may be, with the right control system an environmentally friendly approach to sport and commerce is achievable.
