Articles by Peter Powell

This month’s Point of View topic is transport refrigeration. The inspiration was seeing the train cars pictured in this story. I noted there was a car related to ice service and another was labeled “refrigerator and ventilated fruit car.”

With all the talk about the phaseout of R-22 — with its huge range of air conditioning and refrigeration applications — one thing that seems to be often overlooked is that the refrigerant is not going away any time soon.

Refrigerants are all the talk these days in refrigeration. That was evident at the 66^th International AHR Expo in New York City.

Ice equipment and refrigerant canisters are a couple of the latest developments in refrigeration. Follett 7 Series ice-only dispensers are now Energy Star-qualified. DuPont Refrigerants has introduced a new technology to its Dispos-A-Can® containers.

Over the last couple of months, I’ve referenced comments from Terry Parker, president of Merchandising by Design, who spoke on the topic “The Art and Science Behind Compelling Fresh Food Formats” at last fall’s Food Marketing Institute Energy and Store Design Conference.

As a contractor, the simple takeaway is to read the label, know your colors, and know your suppliers.  

Trying to predict what might happen on the refrigerant front in 2014 is as challenging as it has been every year for the past 30 years. 

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.

In the business of refrigeration, there have been recent developments in refrigerant research, supermarket energy-efficiency improvements, and the acquisition of a commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published what it described as “The Final Draft Version 3.0” which deals with product specifications for Energy Star-qualified commercial refrigerators and freezers. The standards will take effect Oct. 1, 2014.