The most expensive problem is turning out to be the heating system, which uses 1,000 litres of furnace oil every day and has only a 2,000-litre tank -- about the same size as that of the average house. That works out to about $350 a day in fuel, and the town pays an extra call-out charge to have the tank filled every weekend.

"They are very efficient boilers, the best ones on the market, but there is endless consumption over there for some reason," said Rick Lindsay of the town's public-works department. Larger tanks are only one of the upgrades being considered.

The building is not losing heat because of poor insulation, he said, but the size of the facility -- a sprawling 4,800 square metres -- is a likely reason for the high cost. But until the building's operation is scrutinized, no one knows why it is so expensive to operate.

"That's a good question," said Lindsay, when asked. "I really wish I knew."

Mayor George Roach says the oil tank installed is inadequate for the building's requirements.

"Somewhere along the line, somebody put in too small a tank. We probably need a 5,000 gallon (20,000 litre) tank."

The old arena was on a heat loop drawn from the utilidor, and Roach says the costs cannot be compared. Still, the town expected the new system would be cheaper, he said.

"Our costs should be lower," he said.

"Everyone in town saved money when they went off high-temp heat and we thought we would too."

Roach said the operating costs may be normal for such a building but never having run one before, the town does not know, and so will bring in an energy efficiency expert to look at the facility in coming months.

"We're learning day by day," Roach said of the arena. "But it's here, it's not going to go away, and we're going to make the best of it."

One option Lindsay said the town will consider is hooking the arena up to the natural gas pipeline when it eventually hits town. The current boilers are set up so as to be able to burn that fuel and it will be cheaper than standard heating oil.

"There are a lot of options we're going to be looking into," he said.