NASRC Releases New Directory to Support Supermarkets in Transition to Climate-Friendly Refrigeration

Mill Valley, California - The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit, has launched a new directory to connect industry thought leaders who are supporting supermarkets in the transition to climate-friendly refrigerants. The directory showcases NASRC’s 130+ member companies and the services they offer, allowing users to search by product, service type, service territory, and refrigerant among other categories.

“We were founded to bring stakeholders together to take collective action and overcome the barriers to natural refrigerant adoption,” comments Danielle Wright, NASRC executive director. “This directory reflects that principle by streamlining connections with the organizations and companies that have positioned themselves at the forefront of industry progress.”

As the threat of climate change accelerates, the need for sustainable refrigeration is growing. Transitioning to climate-friendly refrigerants is one of the single most effective ways to permanently reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Natural refrigerants - including ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons - are climate-friendly alternatives to traditional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. Unfortunately, they are not yet widely adopted in the U.S. due to a lack of effective and consistent policies to phase down HFCs. Moreover, supermarkets face a unique set of market barriers that prevent adoption of natural refrigerants, such as upfront cost premiums, a shortage of workforce training, and a lack of performance data.

To address the market barriers, NASRC has created a membership network of over 130 industry stakeholders, including 24,000 supermarket locations, that contribute to NASRC solutions driving the data, resources, and support supermarkets need to feasibly adopt climate-friendly natural refrigerants. “Our members are our biggest strength and together have the power to drive solutions forward,” says Wright. “Because of our vast network, we’re uniquely positioned to house a simple platform to facilitate connections between stakeholders and, as a result, accelerate solutions.”

Dalkia Energy Solutions Expands Support for NASRC, Contributing to Reduced Carbon Footprint

BEVERLY, Mass. – Dalkia Energy Solutions, EDF Group recently increased its financial support level for the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC). The NASRC is an action-oriented 501c3 nonprofit that brings together stakeholders from virtually every sector of the commercial refrigeration industry to advance natural refrigerants and create a climate-friendly future for supermarket refrigeration.

With decades of work helping grocery chains across the US reduce their energy footprint, Dalkia has been a supporter of the NASRC since its founding in 2015. Dalkia’s increased level of NASRC support demonstrates a new level of commitment to driving adoption of these more sustainable refrigeration solutions.

 Dalkia is the building energy services division of EDF Group, one of the largest utilities in the world. EDF Group is focused on advancing low-carbon energy to support both economic growth and climate solutions. Dalkia’s 2016 acquisition of Groom Energy Solutions marked its introduction to the US market, bringing reliable and cost-effective energy management solutions to both commercial and industrial customers.

 “Dalkia’s projects globally have contributed to the prevention of roughly 4.2 million tons of CO2 of emissions, the equivalent of taking two million cars off the road,” said Jon Guerster, CEO of Dalkia Energy Solutions.  “And the numbers for 2019 will be even greater.”

He furthered, “we work closely with each and every customer to develop a customized initiative roadmap to unlock energy savings and maximize efficiency. It’s part of our mission and at the heart of all we do.”

Dalkia’s commitment to energy efficiency is especially important in supermarkets, which are more electricity-intensive than any other commercial building type in the US.

To reduce the overall carbon footprint of supermarket refrigeration, both the energy use and the global warming potential (GWP) of the refrigerants used must be considered. The climate impact of a supermarket’s refrigeration system can be evaluated using a measure called the Total Equivalent Warming Impact—the sum of the “indirect” emissions resulting from energy use and the “direct” emissions of refrigerants. For this reason, energy efficiency has become a growing part of NASRC’s strategy to create a climate-friendly future for supermarket refrigeration, as was demonstrated at their recent Low-GWP & Energy Efficiency Expo.

“A growing number of retailers are looking for solutions that offer both low-GWP and energy efficiency benefits. Stakeholders from both energy management and supermarket refrigeration need a seat at the table to advance solutions for supermarkets, and we are glad to see Dalkia position themselves at the forefront of this effort.”

- Danielle Wright, executive director of the NASRC.

“We view the transition to natural refrigerants as a critical piece in the broader greenhouse gas emission reduction puzzle. The US is trailing Europe, where our affiliate Dalkia Froid Solutions has made a significant number of upgrades delivering commercial refrigeration using low-GWP refrigerants, about 150 installations per year with over 2,000 commercial and industrial sites in total under maintenance in Europe,” said Adin Hamilton, SVP of Dalkia Energy Solutions. “There is a great deal of ground to make up in the US, and our involvement with NASRC is a way to participate and contribute to the thought-leadership required to advance this cause. Dalkia is committed to helping customers meet emerging regulatory requirements and organizational carbon reduction goals.”

In addition to Dalkia Energy Solutions, NASRC is supported by a strong network of members, which represents over 24,000 supermarket locations in North America, major equipment manufacturers, service contractors, and other commercial refrigeration stakeholders. Together with their network, the NASRC is driving forward industry solutions that eliminate the barriers to a sustainable future for refrigeration.

More information about Dalkia Energy Solutions, EDF Group is available at: https://www.dalkiasolutions.com/

Arneg Joins the NASRC as a Platinum Member

Lexington, North Carolina—Arneg USA, has joined the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) at the platinum level. The NASRC is an action-oriented nonprofit taking action to create a more climate-friendly future for supermarkets through natural refrigerants.

Arneg USA is a manufacturer of refrigerated display cases and cabinets for the retail food industry. The company is part of the international Arneg Group, who has been a leader in the advancement of natural refrigerant technologies, especially those utilizing carbon dioxide.    

We are thrilled to welcome Arneg USA into our community. Globally, Arneg has shown great leadership in advancing natural refrigerants, and we look forward to working with them to advance naturals in North America.

-Danielle Wright - Executive Director, NASRC .

Natural refrigerants, including carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia (NH3) and hydrocarbons, have extremely low global warming potentials (GWPs), and as a result are considered “climate-friendly.” In some cases, natural refrigerant technologies offer energy efficiency benefits that lower operational costs in the long-run.

Despite their benefits, natural refrigerants are not yet widely adopted by supermarkets due to significant market barriers, including cost, codes and standards, and service readiness. The NARSC works directly with industry stakeholders like Arneg USA to address these barriers head-on. 

Arneg USA is part of the global Arneg group, who is an international leader for the advancement of natural refrigerants. The global organization has hundreds of CO2 systems running and thousands of propane self contained cases placed.

We are pleased to join NASRC and intend to utilize our advanced European natural refrigerant experience in an effort to help accelerate change in the market.

- Howell Feig - Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Arneg USA

In addition to manufacturers like Arneg, NASRC members represent all factions of industry: including service contractors, consultants, engineering firms, trade associations, nonprofits, refrigerant distributors, and over half of the supermarket locations in the United States.

More information about Arneg USA is available at www.arnegusa.com/en-us.

RSES Offers NASRC Members Over 50% Off Hydrocarbons Training

The Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES) has generously offered NASRC members a discounted rate for the RSES Hydrocarbon Safety Refrigerants Training Course Third Edition! Normally priced at $150, NASRC members can now participate in the RSES hydrocarbons training for a discounted rate of $72 per technician. 

About the Training
The RSES training includes a full eLearning course on working safely with Hydrocarbon refrigerants. Currently in the third edition, this course covers practices for the following refrigerant families: 

1. HC R-290 (propane)

2. HC R-600a (isobutene)

3. HC R-441A (a blend*)

4. HC R-170 (ethane)

5. HFC R-32 (difluoromethane)

The course is composed of four parts:

1. Standards and Regulations

2. Refrigerant Properties and Safety System Component Compatibility

3. Servicing Procedures

4. The Refrigeration Cycle Cylinder Storage and Transport

The course includes a PDF of the study guide, a narrated online presentation highlighting key topics from the study guide, and a certificate test assessing your understanding of the material.
 
Read more about the training here.

Contact the NASRC for instructions to access the training discount!