The refrigerant regulatory landscape is changing in the U.S., leaving supermarket owners and operators scrambling to figure out which lower-GWP solution(s) will work best for their specific application. This is particularly the case in California, which is proposing a GWP limit of 150 for new stationary refrigeration systems containing more than 50 pounds of refrigerant, starting on Jan. 1, 2022.
Outside of California, some grocers will likely stick with their legacy HFC (or even HCFC) refrigerants until they are forced to make a change, either through new regulatory mandates or a significant rise in the price of their refrigerant. Many others, however, are looking for ways to incorporate more environmentally friendly solutions, such as HFO blends or “natural refrigerants” such as CO2, ammonia, and R-290. Given that the latter option requires purchasing all new equipment, many grocers are taking a closer look at retrofitting their equipment with HFO blends.