The City of Sarnia has purchased the city's first all-electric Zamboni, which will be used at Sarnia Arena.
It's anticipated the new machine will result in savings of about $5,000 per year because there will no longer be a need to use costly propane gas or upkeep the engine.
Manager of Facilities Trevor Sanderson said it's part of their effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"It also has lower operating sounds," said Sanderson. "It's no different than any other piece of equipment like a car or lawn mower, it has noise that comes from the engine and can be irritating to people and staff. Staff are subjected to these noises every day by using the equipment so by being electric there's very low operating noises."
Sanderson said the Zamboni is equipped with a device that will provide critical data each time it's used, which in turn will reduce the chances of problems and provide an increased ice quality.
The cost came in below the $150,000 budget estimate at just over $135,000 including HST.
Some minor additional costs are expected for installation of a charging port at the arena.
The purchase is part of the city's plan to replace its entire aging fleet.
