On September 27, the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will co-host a free educational workshop to help supermarket stakeholders prepare for future refrigerant regulations in New York State. The workshop will feature an update from the DEC on proposed regulation, presentations on low-GWP technology options, and opportunities for funding the industry’s transition.

“Our goal is to engage stakeholders early in the regulatory process and bring all parties to the table,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of the NASRC. “The sooner we can identify challenges, the sooner we can begin to work on solutions that will ultimately bring divergent goals into alignment.” 

New York is one of a growing number of states that have committed to phase down hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) as part of their larger climate goals. For the time being, the DEC has proposed to adopt the vacated U.S. EPA SNAP rules. However, in June, the state passed what has been referred to as the most ambitious climate targets in the U.S., which include entirely carbon-free electricity by 2040 and economy-wide, net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Given the state’s ambitious climate targets, we’re thinking big picture about what the regulations will look like in the future and what role energy efficiency will play,” said Wright.

Supermarket refrigeration represents an important opportunity to make considerable progress on climate goals. In addition to potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from the use of low-GWP refrigerants, there is an equally significant opportunity to simultaneously reduce emissions and energy demand by optimizing refrigeration technologies for energy efficiency.

“We see a tremendous opportunity to align and make progress on the goals of all key stakeholders through this workshop,” said Wright. “Reducing emissions from refrigerant leaks and increasing energy efficiency is a win-win, but it’s going to take a collective effort and dialogue between all stakeholders to get there.”

This workshop will provide a platform to bring stakeholders together to discuss challenges associated with natural refrigerants and identify actionable solutions. The NASRC intends to implement those solutions to move the needle on natural refrigerant adoption and reduce the regulatory burdens for New York supermarkets. 

Workshop attendees will hear from expert presenters who will provide a comprehensive overview of low-GWP refrigerant solutions, the latest technology innovations, strategies to optimize energy efficiency, and opportunities for low-GWP financial incentives. The workshop will also provide stakeholders with an opportunity to engage in the regulatory process and provide input on New York’s phasedown plan.

The event is sponsored by CoolSys, Danfoss, and Dorin. Attendees will include supermarket retailers, service contractors, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, government agencies, utilities, engineering and design firms, consultants, NGOs, and other stakeholders. For more information or to register for the workshop, visit www.nasrc.org/low-gwp-ny-workshop.