With thousands of dollars of perishable product under refrigeration at any given time, restaurant owners and managers prize speed of service above all else from their refrigeration contractors. 

Trends in supermarkets can often provide insights into changes to come for the rest of the commercial refrigeration world, and — as is the case industry-wide — refrigerants are on the minds of many in the supermarket sector.

The following is excerpted from “Case Study: Transcritical Carbon Dioxide Supermarket Refrigeration Systems,” which was prepared by Navigant Consulting Inc. for the Better Buildings Alliance; Building Technologies Office; and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Ultimately, I think the elimination of the uncertainty about the terms of the final rule will help the refrigerant world by providing a clear direction. Now, everyone knows what they’re dealing with, and the known is always easier to face than the unknown.

With the delisting of some hydrofl uorocarbons (HFCs) for refrigeration, are you concerned about an imminent HFC phasedown for air conditioning?

It’s looking more likely that there will be a global agreement to phase down HFCs, and it could come as early as this year or possibly next; either way, it’s coming. 

eurammon, the initiative for natural refrigerants, and Eurovent, the umbrella association for European cooling manufacturers, are to combine their efforts to advocate the use of natural refrigerants.