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Prioritizing Leak Tightness During
Commercial Refrigeration Retrofits
GREENCHILL
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To meet our obligations under the Montreal Protocol, the United States is phasing
out production of hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 (HCFC-22), an ozone-depleting
substance. Many food retailers are adapting to future HCFC-22 supply constraints by transitioning away from this
refrigerant. Retrofitting HCFC-22-based commercial refrigeration systems to use substitute refrigerants is one
transition option. Because most of these substitute refrigerants are potent greenhouse gases, it is important that
food retailers use the retrofitting process as an opportunity to tighten system leaks.
Benefits of Prioritizing Leak Tightness
• Cost savings: A typical supermarket's refrigeration system holds a refrigerant charge of about
4,000 pounds and has an average annual leak rate of about 25%. Thus, on average, leaks cause a
supermarket to emit approximately 1 ,000 pounds of refrigerant every year. Losing large quantities of
refrigerant through leaks is expensive because of the need to replace the lost refrigerant. Tightening leaks
can therefore produce cost savings. If every supermarket in the country joined GreenChill and reduced
refrigerant emissions to the current GreenChill average, the industry would save an estimated $108 million
annually.
• Reduced impact on the environment: Although hydrofluorocarbons (MFCs), the key substitutes, are not
ozone-depleting substances, they are potent greenhouse gases, which can contribute to climate change
when emitted. In order to achieve environmental benefits for both climate change and the ozone layer, it is
critical to ensure leak tightness when retrofitting.
Information Resources for Tightening Leaks
Food retailers can obtain information on best practices for ensuring leak tightness during refrigeration system
retrofits from several sources:
• EPA's GreenChill Best Practices Guideline for Commercial Refrigeration Retrofits, a peer-reviewed
guideline that provides best practices for retrofitting refrigeration systems that use HCFC-22 to HFC
substitute refrigerants. This guideline, which was co-authored by experts from several GreenChill Partner
companies (including Arkema, DuPont, Honeywell, and INEOS Fluor) and the EPA, includes a list of system
conversion procedures that a typical food retailer would likely undertake to retrofit equipment that was
originally designed to use HCFC-22. Throughout this list of procedures, EPA identifies environmental best
practices to ensure leak tightness. Appendix 2 of the guideline has conversion checklists for specific HFC
substitute chemicals that also identify opportunities for verifying leak tightness.
More information on the contents of this guideline is available on the reverse side of this fact sheet. The full
guideline is available atwww.epa.gov/greenchill/downloads/RetrofitGuidelines.pdf.
• EPA recently hosted a Webinar on Environmental Best Practices for Retrofits. The Webinar included
presentations from representatives from four food retailers describing their experiences in retrofitting
their stores' refrigeration systems with ones that use HFCs, including measures they took to ensure leak
tightness throughout the process. Presentation materials from this Webinar and others are available at
www.epa.gov/greenchill/events.html under "Past Event Information."
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GreenChill Best Practices Guideline
Commercial Refrigeration Retrofits
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Stratospheric Protection Division
GreenChill Partners
Food Retailers
ACME Markets
Albertsons
Intermountain West
Albertsons/Lucky
Southern California
Bel Air Markets
Bigg's
Bloom
Bottom Dollar
Cub Foods
Farm Fresh Food &
Pharmacy
Food Lion
Food Source
Fresh & Easy
Giant Eagle
Hannaford
Harris Teeter
Harvey's
Hornbacher's
Jewel/Osco
King Kullen
King's
Mr.Z's
Nob Hill Foods
Organic Valley
Price Chopper
Publix
Ra ley's
Reid's
Shaw's/Star Markets
Shop 'n Save, St. Louis
Shoppers Food &
Pharmacy
Sprouts Farmers Market
Supervalu Inc.
Sweetbay
Weis Markets
Whole Foods
Wild by Nature
Advanced Refrigeration Technology
Manufacturers
Hill Phoenix Kysor Warren
Hussmann
Zero Zone
Chemical Manufacturers
Arkema Honeywell
Dow Chemical Ineos Fluor
DuPont
EPA's GreenChill Best Practices Guideline for
Commercial Refrigeration Retrofits
EPA developed this guideline to offer fact-based, objective
information on best practices for retrofitting refrigeration systems
that use HCFC-22 to HFC substitute refrigerants. The document
can assist a wide range of stakeholders in the food retail industry,
including strategic decision-makers, store managers, and
technicians involved in the conversion process.
The guideline includes the following information:
• Reasons to consider retrofitting refrigeration equipment that
uses HCFC-22.
• Descriptions of HFC retrofit options currently available to food
retailers.
• Descriptions of factors that should be considered when
assessing substitute chemicals.
• Current best practices fortransitioning to HFC substitutes and
improving leak tightness.
• Recovery techniques and disposal and reclamation options for
HCFC-22.
• Case studies that describe real-life examples of retrofits in the
field.
The guideline is available at
www.epa.gov/greenchill/downloads/RetrofitGuidelines.pdf.
EPA's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership
The GreenChill Partnership is made up of industry leaders in
green refrigeration technology and environmental stewardship.
GreenChill is a cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry to
support and promote green technologies, strategies, and practices
that protect the ozone layer, reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
and save money. GreenChill Partners in the food retail industry
have refrigerant emissions rates nearly 50% lower than the EPA-
estimated industry average.
The GreenChill Partnership researches advanced technology
and servicing practices and provides Partners with tools that can
be used to attain corporate environmental goals. Partners also
benefit from the opportunity to share information on environmental
best practices and increased publicity for their commitments to their
environmental goals.
For additional information on the GreenChill Partnership, please
contact:
Keilly Witman at (202) 343-9742 witman.keilly@epa.gov
www.epa.gov/greenchill
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