Profile of an Average U.S.
Supermarket's Greenhouse Gas
Impacts from Refrigeration Leaks
Compared to Electricity Consumption
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This is a profile of an average U.S. supermarket and the resulting Greenhouse Gas
(GHG) impacts from leaked refrigerants and electricity consumption in a given year. The
GHG estimates are based on the assumptions and industry information cited below and
provided in pounds and metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CC^eq). To
calculate your specific store's GHG impact from refrigeration leaks and electricity
consumption use the corresponding GreenChill calculator.
U.S. Supermarket Store Size1
Annual Electricity Consumption Intensity for U.S. Supermarkets2
Annual Electricity Consumed (Annual Consumption Intensity x Store Size)
Electricity Use Emission Factor (U.S. Average)3
Annual C02eq Emissions from Electricity Consumption
Annual C02eq Emissions from Electricity Consumption (metric)
46,000 square feet
51 kilowatt hours per square foot
2,346,000 kilowatt hours per year
1.30 pounds of C02eq per kilowatt hour
3,049,800 pounds of CO2 per year
1,383 metric tonnes of CO2 per year
Typical Commercial Refrigerant Used4
Global Warming Potential (AR4 standard)5
Commercial Refrigeration Charge Size6
Annual Commercial Refrigeration Leak Rate7
Annual Volume of Commercial Refrigerant Leaked
Annual C02eq of R-404A Leaked
Annual CO2 eq of R-404A Leaked (metric)
R-404A
3,921.6
3,500 pounds
25% per year
875 pounds per year
3,431,400 pounds of C02eq per year
1,556 metric tonnes of C02eq per year
1	Food Market Institute, n.d. Supermarket Facts. FMI | Food Marketing Institute | Food Marketing Institute - Facts & Figures. Retrieved May 26,
2011. From www.fmi.org/facts_figs/7fuseactiorFsuperfact
2	U.S. EPA. July 2008. Sector Collaborative on Energy Efficiency Accomplishments and Next Steps: A Resource of the National Action Plan for
Energy Efficiency. Sector_Collaborative.pdf. Retrieved May 26, 2011. From www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/suca/sector_collaborative.pdf
3U.S. EPA. May 2011. eGRID2010 Version 1.1, Year 2007 Summary Tables. Retrieved May 27, 2011 from
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/egridzips/eGRID2010V1_1_year07_SummaryTables.pdf.
4	Most widely used non-ozone depleting commercial refrigerant based on U.S. EPA Refrigerant Vintaging Model, March 23,2011
5	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nd. IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007. 2.10.2 Direct Global Warming
Potentials. Retrieved May 26,2011. From www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch2s2-10-2.html#table-2-14
6,71.C.F. Consulting. November 30,2005.Revised Draft Analysis of U.S. Commercial Supermarket Refrigeration Systems.
EPASupermarketReport_PUBLIC_30Nov05.pdf (application/pdf Object). Retrieved May 26, 2011. From
www.epa.gov/greenchill/downloads/EPASupermarketReport_PUBLIC_30Nov05.pdf

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