Balancing Environmental Responsibilities, Energy Savings, System Resiliency
October 21, 2013
Over the course of recent years, the HVACR industry has been focused and made strong progress on developing and advancing refrigeration equipment and systems responsible-use practices.
Symposium Notes Increased Regulatory Pressure, Increasing Energy Costs Are Leading to Change
October 14, 2013
Danfoss hosted its 20th EnVisioneeringSM Symposium, “The Climate and Energy Nexus in Commercial Refrigeration.” Participants included commercial refrigeration OEMs, supermarket chains, contractors, and more who addressed important issues on the refrigeration and refrigerants agenda.
On the horizon are the so-called natural refrigerants. Measurements in real-world applications are continually pouring in, offering more evidence of the potential impact — or lack thereof — that these so-called natural refrigerants possess.
In supermarket refrigeration, much of the refrigerant talk is on the so-called ‘naturals.’ And among the naturals, one of the most talked about is R-744 (CO2).
Settlement Involves Largest Number of Facilities Ever Under Clean Air Act Regulations
September 6, 2013
The EPA and Department of Justice have announced a settlement agreement with Safeway in which the grocery store chain has agreed to pay a $600,000 civil penalty and implement a corporate-wide plan to significantly reduce its refrigerant emissions from refrigeration equipment at 659 of its stores nationwide.
Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC), which operates 153 stores in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) GreenChill partnership.
Company to Take Possession of a Location from Albertsons, Do a Major Remodel
July 15, 2013
Stater Bros. announced that the company has entered into an agreement to purchase the recently closed Moreno Valley Albertsons, and that it will open a new state-of-the-art “Blue Ribbon” supermarket at that location. This new supermarket will be the fourth location for Stater Bros. in Moreno Valley.
At last. Some props to refrigeration in supermarkets. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I saw the kudos recently at midday on a weekday (when many, including myself, should have been working), on a cable TV show (“Modern Marvels”) on the History Channel.
Contractors and service technicians who work in restaurant refrigeration need to understand something: As valuable as their services are, they are — in the mindset of restaurant decision makers — only one part of a complex and often confusing equation.
The attention being paid to so-called natural refrigerants is showing a shift toward hydrocarbon refrigerants, even as CO2 gains a stronger foothold and ammonia maintains a high profile. But, whether or not there will be a dominant natural choice remains unclear even in Europe, much less North America.