Supermarkets and their needs will always be one of the front-and-center elements of the HVACR industry. These high-profile businesses operate long hours, use large amounts of energy, and have tens of thousands of dollars in perishable product that needs refrigeration 24/7. 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. At Hillphoenix Refrigeration Systems, Derek Gosselin, product manager, said that as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to push further legislation to phase out high-GWP (global-warming potential) refrigerants and the industry moves towards lower-GWP or natural refrigerant options, consideration of future retrofit cost avoidance has become an important trend, as has the additional cost per pound of newer refrigerant options.
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