No sector of HVACR has utilized more refrigerants over the past 25 years than supermarket refrigeration. It’s a sector still trying to get rid of an awful lot of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22 in a whole lot of stores. Those decision makers taking the retrofit approach with R-22 systems are opting for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with a R-407 series of refrigerants as an often talked about and used approach. But, for new installations, so-called natural refrigerants are Topic No. 1 as the sector wants to get an edge on any possible phase down in production of HFCs.
Here, based on presentations at the 2013 Food Marketing Institute Energy and Store Development Conference in Baltimore, are some of the most recent trends.