Technology

North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council Announces First-of-Its-Kind Refrigeration Technician Training Event

Co-hosted with Southern California Edison, the event will provide natural refrigerant technician training from multiple manufacturers and industry experts.

MILL VALLEY, California—February 15, 2023—The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, today announced the first-ever Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in Irwindale, California April 4 – 6, 2023. Created for refrigeration technicians of all experience levels, the event is free to attend and will offer comprehensive training on the latest natural refrigerant technologies.  

The summit was inspired by NASRC’s Workforce Development Assessment Report recommendations, which outlined the commercial refrigeration industry’s increasingly critical technician shortage. Published in January 2023, the report proposed data-driven solutions to improve technician recruitment, training, and retention to grow the workforce.

“A key takeaway from our workforce development assessment was the need to increase training opportunities and prepare technicians for the transition to climate-friendly refrigerants,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “The goal of this event is to provide convenient, comprehensive, and relevant training for technicians to ensure their ongoing success in the future.”

Leading industry experts and manufacturers will provide concurrent training sessions on CO2 fundamentals, CO2 installation, maintenance and troubleshooting, CO2 case controllers, propane (R-290) self-contained cases, and micro-distributed systems. For a complete list of training providers and up-to-date program information, visit nasrc.org/training.

While the training portion of the event is open to refrigeration technicians, local HVACR students are invited to participate in a networking session on April 4 to increase exposure to natural refrigerant technologies and build industry connections.

The training summit is offered free of charge thanks to the generous support of premium event sponsors: AHT Cooling Systems USA, BITZER US, CAREL USA, Climate Pros, CoolSys, Emerson, Hillphoenix, Parker Sporlan, Piping Industry Progress & Education (PIPE), and The Arcticom Group.

Register for the free Natural Refrigerant Training Summit.


About the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by traditional HFC refrigerants. We collaborate with stakeholders from across the industry, including over 51,000 food retail locations, to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. For more information, visit nasrc.org, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

NASRC Releases 2021 Annual Report

Naturally Better Together
Announcing NASRC's 2021 Annual Report


NASRC is proud to release our 2021 Annual Report, Naturally Better Together, which summarizes our collective progress to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. 2021 was filled with global uncertainty, but together with our members and partners, we made unprecedented progress to:

  • Offset first costs of natural refrigerant technologies

  • Increase natural refrigerant technology options

  • Ensure service workforce readiness

  • Increase awareness and support for the transition away from HFCs

We hope you take a moment to celebrate our shared accomplishments towards building a naturally better future for supermarket refrigeration. None of this would be possible without your support.

Want to support our work further?

Consider making a tax-deductible donation to NASRC.

NASRC's Top 10 Accomplishments In 2021

2021 presented the industry with new challenges, but that didn't stop our members from stepping up to accelerate our mission more than ever before!
Here's a snapshot of our top 10 collective accomplishments from 2021:

Check out our top 10 collective accomplishments in 2021!


1.Sustainable Refrigeration Summit

Hosted the first-ever Sustainable Refrigeration Summit to bring together over 900 supermarket refrigeration stakeholders, government agencies, and policymakers to address the challenges to achieving zero emissions in supermarket refrigeration.

2. Funding Support for Natural Refrigerants

Developed new sources of funding for natural refrigerants: Authored a federal tax credit proposal that is currently in circulation, secured a buyer for our carbon financing pilot, and advanced progress to solidify refrigerant GWP as a metric for utility incentives.

3. Modular Solutions for Existing Facilities

Accelerated technology solutions to enable the modular transition of existing stores to natural refrigerants. Published a report characterizing retailer demand for natural refrigerant-based condensing units to bring more products to the US market. Accelerated the approval of a higher R290 charge limit to increase available self-contained solutions.

4. Workforce Development

Drafted a CO2 curriculum for trade schools & community colleges with ESCO Group, industry stakeholders, and HVACR schools to help build a future workforce that is well-versed in natural refrigerants. Kicked off a workforce development plan to grow the technician workforce.

5. State Incentive Programs

Secured $880,000 in incentives for 12 natural refrigerant projects in California and coordinated the grant deliverables. Mobilized our members and partners to support additional program funding. Worked with other states to share lessons learned and outline future incentive programs.

6. Retailer Leak Reduction Initiative

Formed a Retailer Best Practices Committee to facilitate a retailer-driven leak reduction initiative. Retailers drafted equipment specifications to proactively reduce refrigerant leaks over the lifespan of a system.

7. Pilot Projects & Research Studies

Initiated new field studies and pilot projects on advanced refrigeration technologies to better understand energy performance and other ongoing costs of natural refrigerant solutions. Contributed to the design of a comprehensive M&V study as part of the CARB FRIP grant program.

8. Strengthened Member Network

Grew our membership network to nearly 150 organizations representing over 38,000 food retail locations. Members provided support to NASRC initiatives and participated in member activities, such as Progress Group meetings and monthly End-User Roundtable meetings.

9. Policymaker Engagement

Strengthened relationships with policymakers at the state and federal levels to inform effective policies that address challenges and support the transition to climate-friendly refrigerants. Evidenced by the 60+ policymaker attendees from the federal government and 16 states at our Sustainable Refrigeration Summit.

10. Education & Awareness

Increased awareness of natural refrigerants as a leading climate solution through media coverage, podcast interviews, and other speaking engagements to expand support for the transition away from HFCs.


Thank you to our members, who are behind all of these achievements!
We look forward to building on the momentum we've created together in 2022.

NASRC Summit Program Release!

Our Sustainable Refrigeration Summit
event platform is now live!

NASRC_SRS_SaveDate_Website-1800px.jpg

Check out the summit program to learn about our daily panel discussions, expert presentations, interactive workshops, and on-demand technology presentations!

Register for FREE to view other attendees, build your personal agenda, and add sessions straight to your calendar.

Already registered? Browse the platform and download the app for access on-the-go.


Thank You To Our Sponsors!

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Register Now! NASRC Sustainable Refrigeration Summit

Registration is now open for our Sustainable Refrigeration Summit! This FREE virtual summit will bring together commercial refrigeration, energy, environmental, and policy stakeholders to advance solutions for a zero-emissions future for supermarket refrigeration.

Attendees will gain knowledge on the latest regulatory and industry trends and hear directly from the food retailers, leading industry experts, and policymakers that are shaping the future of sustainable refrigeration.


Hosted over a two-week period, the summit will feature on-demand presentations and 1-2 live sessions each day, including:

  • LIVE panel discussions with food retailers and other industry experts on zero emission strategies, technology solutions, opportunities, and challenges

  • LIVE sessions covering the regulatory landscape, funding for natural refrigerants, and the latest trends and research

  • LIVE interactive workshops with state policymakers to facilitate engagement in refrigerant rulemaking and state program development processes

  • ON-DEMAND technology sessions showcasing the latest innovations in natural refrigerants

Check out our preliminary program and stay tuned for more session details!.


#SustainableRefSummit


Thank you to our sponsors!

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