When Frank Davis joined Sprouts Farmers Market in July 2009 as their Refrigeration Energy Manager, he already knew the challenges that lay ahead. Sprouts had joined the EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership in May 2009. The partnership enlists supermarkets to reduce refrigerant emissions that damage the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. The majority of supermarkets in the U.S., including Sprouts, use HCFC-22, an ozone-depleting substance and greenhouse gas, as their primary refrigerant.
Sprouts was looking for an ozone-friendly replacement and more advanced technology to use in their refrigeration equipment. “We don’t know what’s going to happen in 2015, but it makes sense to start replacing R-22 now,” Frank said.
Frank’s research led him to Honeywell and Genetron Performax® LT, the newest alternative to R-22. “I investigated the options, talked to vendors and manufacturers and became fully educated on refrigerants and capacities,” Frank said. “Performax LT seemed to have the best performance.”
Providing adequate refrigeration for supermarkets based in the arid southwestern U.S. presents additional challenges. “The extreme heat can cause capacity issues, and high discharge temperatures. Performax LT will provide plenty of capacity and a lower discharge temperature than R-22,” Frank said.
Genetron Performax® LT helped reduce retrofit project costs for Sprouts. “We were trying to find a refrigerant we could drop in and run the same as R-22,” Frank continued. “We looked at other proposals. Everyone else was proposing to change out valves. When we talked to Honeywell, they said with Performax LT we could use the same valves. That was a plus.”
Sprouts also saved time and money by using Genetron Performax® LT. “The Honeywell retrofit took only one night. It went so smoothly, and we were surprised at how well the store has been running. We’ve had no leaks or problems with the system, and no product loss as a result. It’s been good.”
To learn more about how Genetron Performax® LT can help you meet your supermarket refrigeration goals, save on utility costs and preserve fresh food sales, please contact us.
Frank Davis, Refrigeration/Energy Manager, has more than 15 years of experience in supermarket refrigeration. He joined Kroger in 2004, where he was the Refrigeration Team leader and then became the Energy Team leader. The duties involved monitoring the refrigeration and Energy for 120 Fry’s Food stores. Frank joined Sprouts Farmers Markets in July 2009, and is responsible for refrigeration performance in all of their 50 existing locations. Four new Sprouts stores will be opening by the end of 2010; seven are planned for 2011.