VENTURA : ‘Blue Ice’ Studied to Cool County Offices

Eutectic salt, commonly known as the “Blue Ice” used in food coolers and picnic baskets, may soon be used to keep the Ventura County Government Center cool.

County officials are doing a study to determine if the county would save money by using such a system and how it would pay for installation costs, said Arnold Robles, deputy director of facilities and grounds.

Officials plan to present the study to the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 29, Robles said.

The advantage of a eutectic cooling system is that the salts can be frozen during the night when electricity costs are lowest, then thawed as part of the air-conditioning system during the peak hours when costs are highest, Robles said.

Installing the system in the Hall of Administration, the Hall of Justice and the Pre-Trial Building would cost about $1.2 million, he said.

Southern California Edison, which could more easily meet peak-hour demands without increasing its facilities if the system were installed, would pay about two-thirds of the cost, Robles said. The county, which would pay about $400,000, would recover the amount in about 2 1/2 years through savings on electricity bills, he said.