Thermal renovation for the Aqualibi

In 2023, Aqualibi Belgium will close its doors for 6 weeks at the beginning of the year to carry out major insulation work, notably moving from two layers of insulation to five layers of insulation for its incredible transparent roof. The ambition of this renovation project is part of the Compagnie des Alpes Group's Net Zero Carbon trajectory, combining two levers: energy efficiency and renewable electricity production.

TO GO FURTHER

Working on the building envelope
In order to reduce its energy consumption, the management of Aqualibi was assisted by two design offices (Greenflex and Greisch) in order to identify renovation work and achieve significant energy gains. The programme included adding 20 cm of additional insulation to its flat roofs, replacing the transparent roof sheeting with a sheeting that was twice as thermally insulating, reinforcing the insulation of the building's façades and modifying the visitor reception area by installing revolving doors, thus replacing the original draughty swing doors.

Improving the efficiency of the heating and ventilation systems
In addition to the work on the building envelope, Aqualibi will also improve the efficiency of its heating and ventilation system. The current systems will be replaced by high-performance systems with a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 6. The COP is an indicator that allows the efficiency and performance of a heating system to be analysed (ratio between the quantity of energy produced and the quantity of energy used). In addition, the site will use solar thermal panels for the pre-heating of domestic hot water and fully automatic heating management software.

Producing renewable electricity
In this way, 3.5 MWp of photovoltaic panels have been added to the existing capacity of around 0.5 MWp (spread over several of the park's buildings). A system of photovoltaic shades covers around 15,700 m² of the redeveloped parking lot. Aqualibi plans to use all this power for its own needs.

Reducing electricity consumption
After the heating needs, Aqualibi is tackling the reduction of electricity needs, in particular by setting up an automatic starting system for the attractions which will reduce the time they are not in operation. The pumps will be resized according to the operating points used, and the electric motors will be replaced by the latest generation IE4 or IE5 motors. Induction hoods will also be installed in the kitchens of Aqualibi's catering area, limiting extraction and therefore the loss of heated indoor air, thus reducing electricity consumption and the heating required. Lastly, the lighting in the enclosure will be completely converted to LED lighting.

Saving water resources
In addition to the energy saving work, Aqualibi is working on reducing the consumption of other resources such as water. The first step is to restructure its shower area and install hydro-economy showers. Next, a water treatment unit using ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis will recycle the hot water used to wash the filters and reinject it into the pool. Finally, the site is installing a digital manager to save water and energy. The DataPool® system developed by Ecotropy collects consumption, weather and usage data and then analyses them to optimise the system.

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