Whole Foods Adopts Lower-GWP Refrigerant

Refrigeration systems in more than 100 stores will be retrofitted with R-448A

RETROFIT SOLUTION: Whole Foods Market has adopted R-448A lower-GWP refrigerant in its stores across the United States. Courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Honeywell announced that global natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market has adopted its Solstice® N40 (R-448A) lower-GWP refrigerant in its stores across the United States as it seeks to reduce refrigerant emissions under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill program.

Whole Foods Market will retrofit their commercial refrigeration systems at more than 100 stores with Honeywell’s reduced-GWP alternative, replacing high-GWP refrigerants R-404A and R-22.

Based on HFO technology, Solstice N40 offers a GWP that is approximately 68 percent lower than legacy HFC refrigerants like R-404A. When using Solstice N40, Honeywell says that refrigeration systems consume less energy than their counterparts that cool using HFCs. In U.S. and European supermarket trials, in comparison to R-404A, Solstice N40 demonstrated an average of 5% to 15% lower energy consumption in refrigeration applications, the company said. It can be used in new installations and to retrofit existing systems using high-GWP refrigerants like R-404A and R-507.

According to Honeywell, Solstice N40 is the most widely accepted, lowest GWP, nonflammable replacement for R-404A, with more than 30,000 installations globally since its release in 2015.

“In the past decade, we’ve implemented several innovative measures to reduce our CO2 emissions, and the use of Honeywell’s refrigerant to retrofit our stores will contribute significantly to this goal,” said Mike Ellinger, principal program manager-engineering, compliance, and sustainability at Whole Foods Market. “After reviewing all of our available retrofit options for our refrigerated cases, R-448A was the clear winner, based on its performance, energy efficiency, reduced GWP, and ease of conversion.”

Whole Foods Market is a founding member and active participant in the EPA’s GreenChill Partnership, with 12 stores certified. The GreenChill program is a partnership with food retailers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using alternative solutions and minimizing refrigerants that deplete the ozone.

“Solstice N40 has become the trusted choice for both commercial and industrial refrigeration customers globally to meet sustainability goals, and we are proud to assist the industry in moving toward the future with environmentally preferable and energy-efficient refrigerants,” said Chris LaPietra, vice president of Honeywell Stationary Refrigerants. “Solstice N40 will help Whole Foods Market lower its carbon footprint, save energy and meet regulatory requirements without having to undertake massive changes to its systems.”

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