North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council Announces Free Refrigeration Technician Training Event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The event is part of the nonprofit’s larger workforce development initiative to improve technician recruitment, training and retention.

MILL VALLEY, California—January 23, 2024—The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, has opened registration for their next Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania March 19 – 21, 2024. Co-hosted with Steamfitters Local 449, the free event will offer comprehensive training for refrigeration technicians on the latest natural refrigerant technologies. 

The three-day event is open to all refrigeration technicians and will include new opportunities for hands-on training. On March 20, NASRC will welcome local HVACR students and faculty to network with event participants to increase exposure to natural refrigerant technologies and build industry connections.

“We are fortunate to have the top refrigeration trainers at these summits,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “Local 449 and other training centers across the country have shown incredible leadership in hosting these events. Investing in technician training and student recruiting is critical to the future success of this essential industry.”

A diverse group of refrigeration manufacturers and other industry experts will lead training on CO2 fundamentals, installation and maintenance, propane self-contained cases and micro-distributed systems.

“We are excited to share our World Class Technology Center with all refrigeration technicians and contractors, who are ambitious to learn,” said Brad Tisdale, HVACR Training Director for Steamfitters Local 449.

NASRC will host the next training summit on April 30 – May 2, 2024, in Irwindale, California. For more information, visit nasrc.org/training. To register for the Pittsburgh Training Summit, visit nasrc.org/pittsburgh-training.

The Pittsburgh and Irwindale Training Summits are free of charge thanks to the generous support of premium event sponsors BITZER US, Climate Pros, CoolSys, Copeland and Hillphoenix.

These events are part of NASRC’s broader workforce development initiative to increase technician recruitment, training, and retention. To learn more, visit nasrc.org/workforce-development.

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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 55,000 food retail locations, to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. For more information, visit nasrc.org, LinkedIn, Instagram, X and YouTube.

North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council Welcomes Leer, Inc. as a Silver-Level Member

MILL VALLEY, Calif.—The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, announced that Leer, Inc., a temperature-controlled storage solutions manufacturer, is supporting the organization as a Silver member.

“Leer’s investment in a NASRC membership underscores its unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility and the advancement of natural refrigerants,” says Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “We’re excited to partner with them and look forward to collaborating in our work to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets.”

Based in Wisconsin, Leer is an expert in commercial and industrial refrigeration. A leader in advancing climate-friendly propane (R-290) refrigeration systems, the company recently published a whitepaper comparing the performance of R-290 to R-404A (a hydrofluorocarbon blend). The study evaluated discharge temperature, discharge pressure, Coefficient of Performance, and overall power consumption and found that across the board, R-290 performed better than R-404A.

“This membership takes our sustainability commitment to the next level, and we look forward to collaborating and exchanging ideas to promote climate-friendly refrigeration practices,” said Ben Albregts, President of Leer. “We are proud to align ourselves with NASRC, working together to shape the future of sustainable refrigeration in North America.”

Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) are super-polluting greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere at a rate thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2). Although regulations seeking to reduce HFC use in the US have lagged behind the rest of the world, 2022 marked the start of new federal and state rules that are helping drive the transition from these legacy refrigerants.

Natural refrigerants like propane, CO2, and ammonia have zero or near-zero global warming potential, making them climate-friendly and future-proof natural alternatives to HFCs. However, unique market challenges—such as upfront cost premiums, service readiness, and technology availability—have prevented US supermarkets from widescale adoption of natural refrigerants.

By working with Leer and other stakeholders from virtually every sector of the grocery refrigeration industry, NASRC is leading efforts to accelerate the transition to natural refrigerants as a solution to these increases in regulatory pressures.

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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 55,000 food retail locations, to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. For more information, visit nasrc.org, LinkedIn, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About Leer, Inc.
Through decades of commitment to product development, customer service and a relentless focus on American-made manufacturing excellence, Leer has continued to shape and drive innovation in the temperature-controlled storage industry. We’re dedicated to the success of all our customers – be that customers of our iconic white Ice Merchandisers, Ice Vending Machines, Refrigerated Transports, Reach-In Storage Freezers, or our custom-built Walk-In Coolers & Freezers.

New NASRC Factsheet: Projected Growth of CO2 Systems

Our NEW factsheet summarizes NASRC food retailer demand for CO2 refrigeration systems for 2023-27.

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As U.S. retailers transition away from high-GWP HFC refrigerants, the demand for CO2 (R-744) refrigeration systems is expected to increase significantly.

To prepare for the anticipated growth, we conducted a survey of 13 major U.S. food retailer companies to project the current and future demand for CO2 refrigeration systems.

Key Takeaways

• Demand for CO2 technologies will grow significantly by 2027.

• CO2 transcritical systems will lead new store builds.

• True demand for CO2 systems could exceed these projections.

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We plan to expand and repeat this survey annually to continue tracking the forecasted growth in CO2 and other natural refrigerant systems in food retail applications.  

To submit suggestions, other complementary data, or questions, contact us at info@nasrc.org.

St. Louis Training Summit Agenda Release

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November 14-16 | St. Louis, MO The agenda for our next Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in St. Louis, MO is now available! Co-hosted with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, this FREE event will feature more than 20 training sessions from leading manufacturers and industry experts on: CO2 fundamentals, installation, and maintenance Propane self-contained cases and micro-distributed systems How to prepare for changing regulations And much more.. Join 200+ other refrigeration technicians to learn about the latest technologies and prepare for the future! Learn more. View Full Agenda Register for FREE Space is limited and refrigeration technicians will receive priority attendance. Can’t make it to St. Louis? Mark your calendar for two more Training Summits in Pittsburgh, PA (March 19-21) and Irwindale, CA (April 30-May 2). Learn more here. Thank you to our sponsors! Premium Basic Contact us for sponsorship opportunities! Become a Sponsor

North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council Announces Refrigeration Technician Training Event in St. Louis, Missouri

The free event provides natural refrigerant training for refrigeration technicians

MILL VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, has opened registration for their next Natural Refrigerant Training Summit in St. Louis, Missouri, November 14 – 16, 2023. Co-hosted with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, the free event will offer comprehensive training for refrigeration technicians on the latest natural refrigerant technologies.

Leading industry manufacturers will provide training on CO2 fundamentals, installation and maintenance, as well as propane self-contained cases and micro-distributed systems. The three-day event is open to all refrigeration technicians. Local HVACR students and faculty are invited to participate in a free networking session with event participants on November 15 to increase exposure to natural refrigerant technologies and build industry connections.

“Our first-ever training summit in April was an overwhelming success,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “Over 200 technicians participated in 17 free training sessions, more than 100 HVACR students and faculty networked with industry leaders, and we received countless requests to bring this event to other parts of the country.”

These events were inspired by NASRC’s Workforce Development Assessment, which investigated data-driven solutions to improve technician recruitment, training and retention to address the critical technician shortage.

“Our assessment identified access to training on the latest technologies as a key solution to support our technician workforce, and we’re excited to help scale that solution nationwide,” said Wright.

NASRC will host additional training summits on March 19 – 21, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and April 30 – May 2, 2024, in Irwindale, California. For more information, visit nasrc.org/training.

The St. Louis Training Summit is offered free of charge thanks to the generous support of premium event sponsors BITZER US, Climate Pros, Copeland and Hillphoenix.

To register for the St. Louis Training Summit, visit nasrc.org/stlouis-training.

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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 55,000 food retail locations, to eliminate the barriers to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. For more information, visit nasrc.org, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.