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!

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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.

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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.

Top 5 Takeaways From The Sustainable Refrigeration Summit

We recently hosted the first-ever Sustainable Refrigeration Summit, bringing together supermarket refrigeration stakeholders, government agencies, and policymakers to address the challenges to achieving zero emissions in supermarket refrigeration.

NASRC members can now access the session slides and recordings in our Member Resource Library, but we've also compiled our top 5 takeaways from the Summit below:

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1. Natural refrigerants are becoming standard in new stores
A growing number of food retailers are choosing natural refrigerants in new store construction. However there are still challenges that need to be addressed, and given the very low rate of new construction we can't achieve zero emissions without addressing existing stores.

2. Existing stores need more solutions
Existing stores represent the greatest opportunity for HFC emissions reduction, but also the greatest challenge. Retailers need more solutions in the market to modularly transition existing facilities, such as natural refrigerant condensing units and codes and standards updates to allow a higher R290 charge limit.

3. Service workforce is a limiting factor
Even if all other barriers were removed, service workforce constraints will significantly limit the rate of the transition away from HFCs. There is a need for workforce development solutions to build a robust technician workforce with access to natural refrigerant training.

4. Funding is needed to accelerate the transition
Upfront cost premiums of natural refrigerant technologies remain one of the leading barriers in both new and existing stores. There is a need for new funding sources to support and accelerate the transition, especially for small and independent food retailers.

5. Effective policies can remove challenges
Increasing regulatory pressures at the state and federal levels are driving the transition to low-GWP and natural refrigerant technology solutions. Effective policies can address challenges and support the transition to move the industry forward together.

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Most importantly, it was clear across the summit that solutions to these challenges will required a coordinated effort with all stakeholders. NASRC is leading that effort together with our members and partners.

Contact us to get involved.

R290 Charge Limit – Progress & Next Steps

Amidst increasing regulatory pressures at the state and federal levels, a growing number of US food retailers are looking to natural refrigerants – including carbon dioxide, ammonia, and propane – as future-proof options. Propane solutions offer opportunities for new and existing stores, but innovation has been limited due to the current allowable charge size of 150g per circuit in self-contained cases. Much of the industry is anxiously awaiting the approval of higher charge sizes for propane through codes and standards due to potential energy, capacity, and cost benefits.

2019 marked a turning point when the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60336-2-89 standard was updated to increase the charge limit for A3 refrigerants - including R-290 (Propane) and R-600a (Isobutane) - to 500g at the international level. After the publication of the updated IEC standard, a CANENA technical harmonization committee led a harmonization effort that resulted in an updated UL-60335-2-89 (UL 2-89) standard allowing up to 300g per circuit in cases with doors and 500g per circuit in open cases. The updated standard has been finalized and was published last Wednesday, October 27th.

But as new regulations begin to take effect in the US, there is a need to accelerate the approval of the higher charge sizes through other codes and standards updates. We’ve put together a brief summary of the status and next steps for each of the remaining updates needed for the widespread approval of higher propane charge limits in the US:

ASHRAE 15

• Status: In Progress

• Summary: The ASHRAE 15 committee has drafted an addendum to approve the higher charge sizes in alignment with UL 2-89 for listed equipment. The addendum is expected to be released for a public comment period in the near future.

• Next Steps: NASRC will continue to monitor the standard update.

EPA SNAP

• Status: In Progress

• Summary: Multiple applications have been submitted to the EPA to approve the higher charge sizes in alignment with UL 2-89. The EPA has been unable to process those applications without a published standard that incorporates the higher charge sizes. Now that the updated UL 2-89 standard has been published, the EPA can begin to process applications to approve the higher charge sizes.

• Next Steps: NASRC will push for accelerated approval of higher charge sizes.

Building Codes

• Status: In Progress

• Summary: Building codes are typically updated in accordance with international building code updates. Currently, the international building codes do not align with the higher charge sizes listed in UL 2-89, but there will be an opportunity to update the international codes to reflect the new UL 2-89 in early 2022. Once the international codes have been updated, a state-by-state effort to update building codes will be necessary. This will be the biggest and most time-consuming challenge to get the higher charge sizes approved.

• Next Steps: NASRC will collaborate with AHRI and a coalition of other NGOs to ensure the international codes are updated and accelerate building code updates at the state level. Contact us to get involved.

Unpacking the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)

What is the IPCC Report?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body responsible for assessing and reporting on science related to climate change. IPCC reports are neutral, science-based, and meant to inform international activities to mitigate climate change. The IPCC recently released their sixth assessment report (AR6) outlining the latest understanding of climate change since the fifth assessment report was published in 2014.

What are the takeaways of the latest report?
The AR6 report quickly caught the attention of media and climate scientists due to its bold conclusions that sounded the alarm more than those of any preceding reports, including a firm conclusion that “it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”

But perhaps the most significant finding is that because of the enormous quantity of greenhouse gases humans have already emitted into the atmosphere, warming will continue for at least the next thirty years even if emissions were sharply cut today. What this means is that some of the impacts we are feeling now (e.g., heat waves, droughts, natural disasters) will continue to worsen until at least the middle of the century.

Is there any good news?
Though AR6 issued a dire warning, it also highlighted an opportunity to turn things around. According to the report, aggressive and immediate emission reductions could minimize warming in the second half of the century, and achieving net zero emissions could even reduce warming below 1.5°C after 2050. But avoiding the critical tipping point of 2°C is going to take swift, comprehensive action act a global scale. 

What does this have to do with supermarket refrigeration?
Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) belong to a class of greenhouse gases called short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), which have significantly shorter lifetimes in the atmosphere than other greenhouse gases. In other words, they have a disproportionate impact on the climate in the near-term, making their mitigation especially urgent. Of the SLCPs evaluated in AR6, only HFCs were found to have increased concentrations at a global level over the last decade.

According to the report, swift implementation and enforcement of the Kigali Amendment to phase down HFCs could reduce average warming by up to 0.4°C in 2100. Because approximately 28% of all HFC emissions in the US come from commercial refrigeration, we can expect that supermarkets will be expected to play a major role in the phasedown of HFCs.

But reducing emissions from HFCs is not the only step to a climate-friendly future for supermarket refrigeration. AR6 also highlighted the need for improved efficiency of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment to further reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions from energy use.

What is NASRC doing about it?
Natural refrigerants – including carbon dioxide, ammonia, and hydrocarbons – have zero or near-zero global warming potential (GWP) and are the most climate-friendly refrigerant alternatives available on the market today. But due to a unique set of market barriers, such as high upfront costs, lack of technology availability, and service readiness, they have not been widely adopted in the US market. Without real solutions to these challenges, the industry will have no choice but to transition to refrigerants with a larger climate impact and the policy measures referenced in AR6 will leave emission reduction potential on the table.

NASRC is spearheading efforts to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets and create a climate-friendly future for supermarket refrigeration. Together with a powerful network of supermarket industry stakeholders, we are driving the solutions needed to make natural refrigerants a feasible business choice for supermarkets and unlock their tremendous climate benefits.

Want to be a part of the action? Contact us to get involved!

Energy Recovery Joins NASRC, Introducing Energy-Saving Innovations for CO2 Systems

San Leandro, California — Energy Recovery, an energy recovery device manufacturer of technologies that solve complex challenges for industrial fluid-flow markets worldwide, has joined the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) at the silver level.

NASRC is an action-oriented 501c3 nonprofit working in partnership with the supermarket industry to create a climate-friendly future for refrigeration by eliminating the barriers to natural refrigerant adoption in supermarkets. Natural refrigerants - including ammonia, hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide (CO2) - have zero or near-zero global warming potential (GWP), making them a climate-friendly alternative to hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.

HFCs are super-polluting greenhouse gases growing faster than any other greenhouse gas on the planet, and phasing them out has been identified as one of the most impactful climate solutions globally. As a result, supermarkets are facing increasing regulatory pressures and new corporate sustainability commitments to transition away from HFCs. Though natural refrigerants are the most climate-friendly solution, unique market challenges such as upfront cost premiums, service readiness, technology gaps, and uncertainty around energy performance have prevented their widescale adoption.

Energy performance is particularly important to achieving the lowest possible carbon footprint in supermarkets, as they represent the most energy-intensive type of commercial building, and their refrigeration systems are usually the largest source of energy use. CO2-based refrigeration systems have faced particular scrutiny for energy performance challenges in warm ambient climates. Though CO2 often performs well as a refrigerant in cool ambient climates, it has been shown to be less energy efficient in warm ambient climates without additional energy-saving design features.

Energy Recovery, which focuses on designing and manufacturing solutions that make industrial processes more efficient and sustainable, is working to address that challenge. The company’s newest pressure exchanger device, the PX G1300, allows CO2-based refrigeration systems to operate more efficiently in all ambient temperatures. It works by harvesting pressure energy to reduce compressor work and lessen power requirements, in turn increasing the efficiency of the system and contributing to a lower overall carbon footprint.

“Energy Recovery has been making industrial processes more sustainable and affordable for nearly three decades, and we’re excited that our innovative technology can do the same for the CO2 refrigeration industry,” said Kuo-Chiang (K-C) Chen, vice president of engineering and new product launch, Energy Recovery. “Our PX not only enables the use of natural refrigerants that have a significantly lower global warming potential, but also reduces electricity use of the entire system. We’ve found a partner with a shared goal in the NASRC, and we look forward to working together to future-proof CO2 refrigeration.”

The company has now joined NASRC’s network of over 140 stakeholders from across the refrigeration industry who are all contributing to NASRC’s work to advance natural refrigerants.

“We welcome Energy Recovery to our growing network and look forward to leveraging their expertise,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “Optimizing energy performance is critical to the future success of natural refrigerants and to achieving the maximum emissions reduction potential in the supermarket sector.”

NASRC’s membership network represents more than 38,000 US food retail 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.

Register for NASRC’s Sustainable Refrigeration Summit to access a free, on-demand presentation of Energy Recovery’s PX G1300 device. More information about Energy Recovery can be found here: https://energyrecovery.com/refrigeration/.