Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions Joins NASRC as a Silver Member; Brings New Natural Refrigeration Solutions to the US Market

Warwick, Rhode Island — Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions, an international manufacturer of remote and plug-in refrigeration cabinets, walk-in coolers, and refrigeration systems and accessories, has joined the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) as a Silver Member.

NASRC is an action-oriented 501c3 nonprofit working in partnership with every sector of the supermarket industry to advance the use of natural refrigerants and address the barriers preventing their widespread adoption.

“Viessmann is a family-owned company, highly dedicated to develop and promote technology that reduces the carbon footprint of our customers.  Our vision is “We create living spaces for the generations to come”, and the mission of NASRC to ensure natural refrigerants replace damaging HFC’s in refrigeration, aligns perfectly with our own values,” said Jørn Aalefjaer, Viessmann Business Development Director North America. 

Commonly used hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) are extremely potent greenhouse gases growing faster than any other greenhouse gas on the planet. They trap heat in the atmosphere at thousands of times the rate of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Natural refrigerants, which include CO2, ammonia and hydrocarbons, have zero or near-zero global warming potential (GWP), making them a climate-friendly, future-proof alternative to HFCs. However, unique market challenges — such as upfront cost premiums, service readiness, and technology availability — have prevented the widescale adoption of natural refrigerants in US supermarkets.

The climate impact of HFCs has sparked a global transition away from legacy refrigerants. In Europe, for example, stringent regulations have accelerated the phase-out of HFCs, and natural refrigerants are becoming the new standard.

In the US, new regulatory pressures at the state and federal levels are beginning to drive the transition away from HFCs as well. The American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act has directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to phase down production and consumption of HFCs in the United States by 85% by 2036, mirroring the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The AIM Act also facilitates the transition to next-generation refrigeration technologies and establishes requirements for the management and reclamation of refrigerants.

Some states have enacted restrictions on HFCs that go beyond these federal requirements. California has introduced stringent regulations that will require the use of refrigerants with a GWP of less than 150 in new stores, as well as the reduction of GWP use in existing stores by 2030. Washington and New York are also establishing more stringent regulations that go beyond federal rules.

As a result, US food retailers are seeking technology solutions that support their efforts to transition to natural refrigerants.

Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions, with global headquarters in Germany, is bringing its natural refrigeration technology solutions to the US market for the first time. It has demonstrated a strong commitment to natural refrigerants, with systems that use CO2 and propane, for example. The company’s Tecto product portfolio includes remote and plug-in refrigeration cabinets, walk-in refrigerators and coolers, and refrigeration systems and accessories.

By introducing its products in the US, Viessmann will expand the technology options for food retailers and help support their efforts to shift away from HFCs.

“The movement, initiated by the AIM Act passing Congress in December, 202, towards the use of natural refrigerants in commercial refrigeration, opens the door for our sustainable products and solutions to the US market. Our long and well proven technology, using natural refrigerants, will enable US food retailers to move to technology that not only use natural refrigerants like propane and CO2, but also saves energy and increase the efficiency overall,” said Jørn Aalefjaer, Viessmann Business Development Director North America.

“Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing natural refrigerants internationally, and we are glad to see them introducing new technology options to support regulatory compliance in the US market,” said Danielle Wright, NASRC Executive Director. “We look forward to leveraging their global expertise to help accelerate progress in the US.”

NASRC’s membership network represents more than 38,000 US food retail locations and stakeholders from virtually every sector of the supermarket refrigeration industry. Members include service contractors, manufacturers and suppliers, consultants, engineering firms, trade associations, distributors, and nonprofits.

More information about Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions is available at https://cooling.viessmann.com/

New NASRC Factsheet: Propane (R-290) Charge Limit

We're pleased to release a new NASRC factsheet to accelerate the adoption of the newly established propane charge limit into standards and building codes!

Overview: Propane (R-290) is a safe, climate-friendly refrigerant with tremendous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from supermarket refrigeration.

Last year, the UL safety standard (60335-2-89) was updated to incorporate higher allowable charge sizes of propane. The goal of this factsheet is to accelerate updates to remaining codes and standards.

Topics Covered:

• Propane as a safe, cost-effective, and climate-friendly refrigerant

• Propane applications in supermarkets

• Approved UL safety standard that allows higher propane charge limits

• The latest status on the process to update remaining codes and standards

Audience: Building code officials, policymakers, government agencies, or other entities involved in remaining codes and standards updates.

New NASRC Factsheet: Nat Refs in Supermarkets

New NASRC Factsheet
Natural Refrigerants In Supermarkets

We're pleased to release a new NASRC factsheet on natural refrigerants in supermarkets!

Overview: Natural refrigerants are the most climate-friendly refrigerant alternatives and offer a future-proof solution to high-GWP HFC refrigerants. This factsheet summarizes why natural refrigerants in supermarkets are one of the most impactful, permanent, and cost-effective climate solutions.

Topics Covered:

• HFCs as potent greenhouse gases

• Supermarket refrigeration HFC emissions

• Regulations phasing down HFCs

• Natural refrigerants overview, benefits, and opportunities

Audience: Policymakers, government agencies, or other entities with greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Livingstone Consulting Joins NASRC, Helping US Grocers Meet Sustainability Goals

San Rafael, California — Livingstone Consulting, an engineering and sustainability consulting firm whose scope of expertise includes supermarket refrigeration, has joined the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) at the silver level. The NASRC is an action-oriented 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to creating a climate-friendly future for refrigeration through natural refrigerants.

Livingstone Consulting works with clients across a range of industries on sustainability issues in the built environment, including building services engineering, sustainable design and solutions, onsite energy strategy, decarbonization, building optimization, and refrigerant management. Its experience includes the application of natural refrigerants and related disciplines like supply chain readiness and research and development of emerging technologies and applications.

“Our mission is to pioneer sustainable change in the built environment. What this really means is we are committed to working with partners to strategize and most importantly execute solutions that address environmental & economic challenges, namely climate change. We see natural refrigerants as a critical climate solution and a tremendous opportunity for the supermarket industry,” said Tristam Coffin, Livingstone president.   

Amid the broad trend toward corporate responsibility, pressure has been growing for businesses to address sustainability across their operations. Sustainability is an especially important issue for supermarket operators, who also face increasing legislative pressures to reduce the overall carbon footprint of their refrigeration systems.

“Grocers are caught between growing pressures to transition to climate-friendly refrigerants while improving the energy performance of their refrigeration systems,” said Morgan Smith, NASRC manager of programs & operations.

With zero or near-zero global warming potential (GWP) and a potential to improve energy performance, natural refrigerants are a future-proof solution for increasing refrigerant regulations and could play a key role in reaching corporate sustainability goals. Despite their benefits, barriers such as upfront cost premiums, a shortage of workforce training, and a lack of performance data have prevented the widescale adoption of natural refrigerants in the US.

NASRC, in partnership with its 130-plus stakeholders from across the supermarket refrigeration industry, is addressing those barriers head-on to make natural refrigerants a more feasible business choice for supermarkets.

“The NASRC is not only a leader in the supermarket industry, but they are also a vital environmental organization and unique resource in the sustainable refrigeration solutions and natural refrigerant space. We are proud to be aligned with their mission and join as a member,” said Coffin.  

“Livingstone brings in a unique expertise that will help grocers meet their sustainability goals and successfully navigate increasing refrigerant regulations,” said Smith. “We’re excited to welcome them into our network and look forward to working with them to drive our mission forward.”    

NASRC’s membership network represents more than 24,000 US supermarket locations and stakeholders from virtually every sector of the commercial refrigeration industry, including service contractors, manufacturers and suppliers, consultants, engineering firms, trade associations, distributors, and nonprofits.

More information about Livingstone Consulting can be found here: https://livingstone-consulting.com.

Can Natural Refrigerants be Good for the Environment and for Supermarkets’ Bottom Line?

Letter from our executive director, Danielle Wright

Can Natural Refrigerants be Good for the Environment and for Supermarkets’ Bottom Line?

This is the question I was asked in a recent interview for a new podcast on climate change solutions. My first instinct was to say "Yes, absolutely," but I hesitated. Of course, this statement has the potential be true, and in other parts of the world it is true. But if I said yes, it wouldn’t reflect the reality for US supermarkets today. If anything, environmental and business goals are often considered opposing, even clashing forces that can’t be aligned. But could there be another way? Could environmental and business goals work in harmony?  

On the environmental side, there is no question that natural refrigerants, including Carbon Dioxide, Ammonia, and Propane, represent one of the most impactful solutions to climate change. Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) are the fastest growing greenhouse gases (GHG) globally, with thousands of times more global warming potential (GWP), or heat-trapping power, than carbon dioxide. Scientists have warned that left unchecked, HFC emissions could be responsible for up to 0.5°C of warming before the end of the century.

In terms of whether natural refrigerants are good for a supermarket’s bottom line, I thought about what an ideal world would look like. For natural refrigerant technologies to be economically sustainable, they’d need to be available at roughly the same upfront costs as their HFC counterparts. They’d need to demonstrate similar or better operational costs over the life of the equipment, including service, maintenance, and energy usage. Ultimately, natural refrigerants need to be a good return on investment to have a net positive impact on the business bottom line.

Why would anyone pay more upfront for a product that could cost more over its lifecycle, may not perform to the same standard, and has fewer options in terms of serviceability? Is this the worst sales pitch for natural refrigerants? Probably. But I can tell you that these questions represent the very real hurdles that prevent natural refrigerants from being a supermarket’s first choice. With US adoption rates below 1%, natural refrigerants are stuck in a continuous negative feedback loop of low adoption. Low demand keeps upfront costs high, preventing technology innovation, reliable performance data, and adequate workforce training, which in turn keeps demand low. Not to mention the biggest hurdle of all: what to do about the vast number of existing stores which represent 99% of the environmental problem?

Unfortunately, some well-intentioned policymakers and environmental organizations make the problem worse. They attempt to solve the issue by placing the burden entirely on supermarkets. We have seen campaigns that call on supermarkets to make a seemingly simple choice but disregard complex market forces that keep the negative cycle of adoption firmly in place. The idea that supermarkets could magically reverse the cycle by simply choosing lower GWP refrigerants ignores the deeper issues. This misplaced pressure creates a stand-off between business and environmental goals, halting any forward progress.

To make meaningful change, we need real solutions and actions that address the root causes of the barriers to natural refrigerant adoption. First costs can be offset through comprehensive incentive programs and funding investments designed to spur demand. Credible data on performance and total lifecycle costs can drive innovation, optimized design, and confidence in return on investment data. Workforce training can improve system performance and reduce costs, which in turn further increases confidence and demand. The key to these solutions is collective action by a diverse community of stakeholders.

Policymakers and environmental organizations can play a critical role in supporting real change. They are uniquely positioned to leverage their influence to increase awareness and help drive critical resources, including incentive programs to jump-start demand, funding for data and research on advanced technologies, calling attention to codes and standards barriers, and investment in workforce development. Furthermore, effective policies have the potential to accelerate the transition by creating market certainty and alignment with related goals, such as energy efficiency and community resiliency.

NASRC was founded to bring stakeholders together to take collective action and overcome the barriers associated with natural refrigerants. Over the last five years, we have built a powerful network of members and partners to drive solutions on the data, resources, and support supermarkets need to feasibly adopt natural refrigerants. Our vision is to create a sustainable future for supermarket refrigeration. To unlock the tremendous environmental benefits of natural refrigerants, they need to first be considered a feasible business choice for supermarkets. Aligning environmental and business goals is the definition of our success, and we need all hands on deck to make it happen.

After some thought, I responded to the interviewer's question "Not yet, but we have a plan,” then I added “and most importantly, we have the right people to make it happen.” I hung up the phone and got back to work, feeling optimistic about the future we’re building with our network.