EPA2017 will arrive soon, bringing new regulations for the retail food refrigeration industry. These changes could potentially affect you. The new regulations specify which refrigerants are being phased out and which ones meet the new EPA guidelines.
All food retailers should click on the link below to see the pending regulations and your new responsibilities. By following the four steps described, you will better understand what is changing and what you need to do to prepare.
According to the EPA: “Retail food refrigeration, or commercial refrigeration, includes equipment designed to store and display chilled or frozen goods for commercial sale. This end-use includes the following categories of equipment: stand-alone equipment, remote condensing units, and supermarket systems.”
Zero Zone acknowledges that the 2017 EPA requirements can be difficult to understand and apply to store design needs. To help you sort through all the possibilities, we offer this document to narrow down the available options. A methodical approach is recommended, involving four critical steps:
Since 1961, Zero Zone has been a leading manufacturer of high-quality, energy-efficient refrigerated display cases and commercial and industrial refrigeration systems. All of our display merchandisers are remote cases designed to be connected to individual condensing units, rack systems, or top-mount, field-installed condensing unit kits (Hybrid™ Display Cases). The display case installation should conform to local codes, including necessary permits for remote installations.
This document is designed for supermarket and related food retailers to help determine the best EPA approved refrigerant to suit the retailer’s specific goals, based on comparisons of energy efficiency, GWP, refrigerant costs, and more.
Learn more here: 2017 EPA Retail Food Refrigeration Regulations
North Prairie, WI – March 3, 2016—Zero Zone, Inc. is pleased to introduce the Edge XT Distributed System, an outdoor version of our well-known Edge Distributed System line.
Distributed refrigeration systems are used by small retail format stores that do not require a large refrigeration rack to cool the small number of refrigerated display cases and walk-ins in their facilities. Distributed systems are also very popular with larger supermarket chains, who prefer several smaller distributed systems rather than pumping all the refrigerant through one or two
very large systems. The decreased refrigerant charge of smaller distributed systems minimizes environmental impact for the retailer.
Carl Petersen, Marketing & Advertising Manager for Zero Zone, noted, “Since its introduction in 2008, the indoor Edge™ Distributed System has been a go-to work horse for food retailers who wanted to have the convenience of a compact refrigeration system located in a back room of their stores. We now give them that same option, but for placement outdoors, either on the roof or on a concrete pad behind the store.”
Available with either scroll or reciprocating compressors, the Edge™ XT can be used to help optimize operating efficiency and conserve space within the store. Durable hinged doors allow for easy access and help protect the equipment. A weather-tight control panel and a sturdy galvanized exterior ensure that the Edge™ XT will deliver many years of reliable service.
The Edge™ XT also features integrated condenser coils, available in either micro-channel or ‘fin & tube’ varieties. Easy access top-mount fans are available with single speed or variable speed ECM motors.
Learn more about the entire Edge™ Distributed System line of products
Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass door display cases and commercial
refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar, and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie and
Waukesha, WI and refrigeration systems plants in Ramsey, MN, Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems
for cold storage, food processing, and ice arenas.
The well-known Edge™ Distributed Refrigeration System line has a new family member! Introducing the Edge™ XT System – meant for outdoor applications that can be installed on a roof or on a concrete pad behind the store. It features a weather-tight control panel and a sturdy galvanized exterior.
Zero Zone, Inc. is pleased to introduce the Edge™ XT Distributed System, an outdoor version of our well-known Edge™ Distributed System line. Distributed refrigeration systems are used by small retail format stores that do not require a large refrigeration rack to cool the small number of refrigerated display cases and walk-ins in their facilities. Distributed systems are also very popular with larger supermarket chains, who prefer several smaller distributed systems rather than pumping all the refrigerant through one or two very large systems. The decreased refrigerant charge of smaller distributed systems minimizes environmental impact for the retailer.
Carl Petersen, Retired Marketing & Advertising Manager for Zero Zone, noted, “Since its introduction in 2008, the indoor Edge™ Distributed System has been a go-to work horse for food retailers who wanted to have the convenience of a compact
refrigeration system located in a back room of their stores. We now give them that same option, but for placement outdoors, either on the roof or on a concrete pad behind the store.”
Available with either scroll or reciprocating compressors, the Edge™ XT can be used to help optimize operating efficiency and conserve space within the store. Durable hinged doors allow for easy access and help protect the equipment. A weather-tight control panel and a sturdy galvanized exterior ensure that the Edge™ XT will deliver many years of reliable service. The Edge™ XT also features integrated condenser coils, available in either micro-channel or ‘fin & tube’ varieties. Easy access top-mount fans are available with single speed or variable speed ECM motors.
For more information about the entire Edge™ Distributed System line of products, visit Efficient Distributed Refrigeration Systems | Zero Zone
Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar, and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie, Mukwonago, and Waukesha, WI and refrigeration systems plants in Ramsey, MN and Dyersville, IA, Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems for cold storage, food processing, and ice arenas.
We’ve all heard about the contaminated drinking water supply in Flint, Michigan. Fortunately, here in Wisconsin, most of us at Zero Zone have never had to personally deal with a problem such as that.
One of our employees recently saw an opportunity to help the people of Flint in a small, but meaningful, way.
On Tuesday, February 9th, 2016, Zero Zone had a planned display case delivery to a dollar store in Flint, Michigan. Nancy Sadler, an account manager here at Zero Zone, was coordinating the shipment and thought, “Why not send a shipment of bottled water along with our display cases? There is plenty of room in the truck.” So, Nancy contacted a local bottled water company, Century Springs, and Mukwonago-based transportation company, Kezman Transportation. With only a short window of opportunity before our display case had to be shipped, all parties involved stepped up to assist with this endeavor. When all was said and done, 80 cases of donated bottled spring water were sent to the Catholic Charities–Center for Hope, which handled the distribution to those in need in the Flint community.
This act of kindness could not have been accomplished without the help of Century Springs, Kezman Transportation, the Red Cross in Flint, Catholic Charities–Center for Hope, and of course our employees here at Zero Zone. A big THANK YOU to everyone who made this possible! We sincerely hope this has helped the Flint community and are proud to have an employee like Nancy who was willing to take that extra step to find a creative way to help others.
The Flint Water Crisis was a result of lead contamination in the community’s municipal water and affected around 66% of households. Learn more about the Flint Water Crisis here.
Learn more about who Zero Zone is as a company here.
Get some time-saving tips with the new Crystal Merchandiser® installation videos. One features a cooler-to-cooler installation and the other guides you through the freezer-to-cooler installation process.
| Cooler-to-Cooler Installation
|
Freezer-to-Cooler Installation
|
North Prairie, WI – June 25, 2014—The Zero Zone ColdLoop™ CO2 Subcritical System is now available for food retailers who want a reliable, efficient refrigeration system to cool their food display cases, but one that won’t be harmful to the environment and the ozone layer. Retailers now have an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional refrigeration systems, which use large amounts of Freon in the process of cooling. The new ColdLoop™ CO2 Subcritical System minimizes the use of HFC refrigerants in favor of CO2, a readily available refrigerant that has a GWP (Global Warming Potential) of 1, the lowest GWP available, and is considered the baseline by which all other Green House Gases are measured, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Carl Petersen, Marketing & Advertising Manager for Zero Zone, noted, “we are pleased to introduce this advanced technology to Zero Zone customers throughout the Americas. We are also proud to announce that our very first installation of this innovative system, at a Whole Foods Market in Northern California (Castro), has received a major recognition from the EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership. That particular Whole Foods Market has been awarded Platinum Certification, GreenChill’s highest level of certification and one shared by only 3 other stores in the United States.”
The Zero Zone ColdLoop™ CO2 Subcritical System is a secondary loop system that uses Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as the refrigerant to directly cool the display cases, the walk in coolers, and the walk in freezers. All medium temperature loads are cooled with re-circulated liquid CO2, and the low temperature loads are cooled with direct expansion CO2. The CO2 is cooled with a cascade condenser utilizing R407A, an HFC refrigerant. The R407A refrigeration system and the entire R407A refrigerant charge is contained within the mechanical room and is at a volume that is a mere fraction of what might be used in a traditional Freon-based refrigeration system. This not only reduces the HFC refrigerant charge, but also the possibility of refrigerant leakage. It is estimated that this new system has a leak rate potential of 5% per year, compared to an average 25% leak rate for traditional systems. This minimizes the global warming potential of this system and benefits everyone on the planet.
For more information about the entire ColdLoop™ Refrigeration System Line, visit www.zero-zone.com.
The ColdLoop™ Refrigeration System Line, which includes the ColdLoop™ Glycol Secondary Refrigeration System, is manufactured by Zero Zone, Inc. Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass-door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie and Waukesha, WI and a refrigeration systems plant in Ramsey, MN, Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems for cold storage, food processing and ice arenas.
North Prairie, WI – JUNE 3, 2014
Zero Zone, Inc. (Zero Zone), a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass-door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems, received two awards for its interactive sales presentation, which was shown to customers and potential customers at a recent industry trade show, StorePoint 2014.
The video segments of the Sherlock Holmes-themed PowerPoint presentation won a bronze Telly award in the 35th Annual Telly Awards contest, which received more than 13,000 entries from around the world. Locally, the presentation also won an Excellence Award from the Milwaukee chapter of the Business Marketing Association.
A play on Sherlock Holmes with a Zero Zone twist, the video portions were filmed by Zero Zone’s branding agency, Waukesha, Wis-based Z2 Marketing, at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Zero Zone marketing manager, Carl Petersen, wrote the script and played the main character.
“We’re thrilled to have been recognized at such a high level for our work on this presentation,” said Petersen. “We’d like to thank everyone who worked hard to make the video elements and the PowerPoint such a success.”
View a brief sample of the video
Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards is the premier awards contest honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and web commercials, videos and films. Discover more information on the Telly Awards
Recognized as the premier annual business-to-business marketing awards show in the region, the BMA Milwaukee Bell Awards were presented to more than 20 local agencies, corporate marketers, and vendor partners.
Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass-door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie and Waukesha, WI and a refrigeration systems plant in Ramsey, MN, Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems for cold storage, food processing and ice arenas.
North Prairie, WI – March 27, 2014—The Zero Zone Crystal™ Merchandiser line of medium-temp reach-ins has now been expanded to include the new Crystal™ Merchandiser freezer.
Carl Petersen, Marketing & Advertising Manager for Zero Zone, noted, “With the proliferation of the medium-temp Crystal™ Merchandiser cases, customers have been asking ‘when can we see a low-temp version of this versatile display case?’.
I’m pleased to announce that the answer to that question is ‘now’. The new Crystal™ Merchandiser freezer includes the legendary open appearance and the exceptional facings and packout of the original, but now offers those benefits for the display of frozen food and ice cream.”
Energy efficiency has been a hallmark of Zero Zone engineering efforts since its founding over a half-century ago. The new Crystal™ Merchandiser freezer was designed with that same commitment. The 30-inch by 74-inch doors on the new case allow a panoramic view of the products displayed.
The meat department manager at a Midwest supermarket commented: “I look forward to gaining better energy savings with these new cases.” He already uses the medium-temp Crystal™ Merchandiser for the display of all his fresh meat products, and after adding the low-temp Crystal™ Merchandiser lineup, he said he really appreciated “having a more uniform look to my meat department.” He continued, “I gained one shelf all the way across the entire case [lineup] when we changed over to the new [freezer] cases.” He likes the extra capacity and facings because he doesn’t “have to keep overstocking the back freezer.”
At another store that uses the Crystal™ Merchandiser for all of their refrigerated and frozen natural and organic foods, the department manager said of the new freezer case, “I think the accessibility is wonderful. The doors stay open, it’s easy to fill, and the bottom shelf is slanted so it’s just so much easier for shoppers to see what they are buying. It just looks really good.”
For more information about the entire Crystal™ Merchandiser line of products, visit www.zero-zone.com.
The Crystal™ Merchandiser line, which includes medium-temp reach-ins with 30-inch or 48-inch planograms and the new Crystal™ Merchandiser freezer with 30-inch doors, is manufactured by Zero Zone, Inc. Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar, and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie and Waukesha, WI and a refrigeration systems plant in Ramsey, MN, Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems for cold storage, food processing, and
ice arenas.
North Prairie, WI – April 1, 2013—The Zero Zone Crystal™ Merchandiser, a leading reach-in, medium-temperature display case, is now available in eight- and 12-foot lengths, accommodating merchandisers who prefer four-foot planogram segments. Retailers now have a glass-door alternative to open cases with more size options, but with the same energy reduction—up to 84%—as the original Crystal Merchandiser (RVMC30) with 30” X 74” CoolView™ Doors.
“Our original Crystal Merchandiser has become one of our best-selling cases, due to its energy savings, clean look and appeal to shoppers,” said Carl Petersen, marketing and advertising manager for Zero Zone. “These new cases offer those same benefits, but give our customers more options and flexibility with their merchandising plans. So far, we’ve received extremely positive feedback from retailers.
The first of the new Crystal Merchandiser (RVMC24) cases with 24” x 74” CoolView™ French-style doors have been installed at Don’s Quality Market in Seymour, Wisconsin. Randy Reed, co-owner of the store, made the decision to purchase the new cases based upon experience with the original Crystal Merchandiser. Over the last three years, Reed had installed the Crystal 30” door cases in the dairy, deli and produce departments to increase energy savings.
“Our dairy numbers are up, and we’re able to offer our customers a greater variety,” said Reed. “Just the look of the case itself sells the product better. Plus, it’s easier to face the merchandise. After just a few hours of operation, our customers were approaching me and complimenting the new Crystal Merchandiser cases. They’re really a win-win for both the store and for the customers.”
In addition to the original 30-inch door Crystal Merchandiser and the new 24-inch French-door version, the line also includes a deep model that can hold four 30-packs of 12 oz. cans of beer from front to back. The Crystal Merchandiser Line is available as remote cases or as Hybrid cases, with a condensing unit kit mounted on top of the case. The cases are also available with rear-load doors for stocking from walk-in coolers. For more information about the entire Crystal Merchandiser Line, visit www.zero-zone.com.
The Crystal Merchandiser Line is manufactured by Zero Zone, Inc. Established in 1961, Zero Zone is a leading manufacturer of refrigerated glass-door display cases and commercial refrigeration systems for supermarkets, drug, dollar and convenience stores. With display case plants in North Prairie and Waukesha, WI and a refrigeration systems plant in Ramsey, MN, Zero Zone also manufactures industrial refrigeration systems for cold storage, food processing and ice arenas.
NORTH PRAIRIE, WIS. – May 03, 2011 – Businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs. Increasingly they are searching for ways to reduce energy consumption, as well. One way in which supermarkets can do both is through choosing energy-efficient refrigerated display cases and refrigeration systems.
“An effective way in which these savings can be quantified is through partnerships with government agencies,” says Carl Petersen, marketing and advertising manager at Zero Zone, Inc. “For example, here in Wisconsin we work closely with the state’s Focus on Energy program to encourage energy consumption reduction and to track what those energy and monetary savings amount to.”
In conjunction with Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program, Zero Zone has helped Wisconsin businesses reduce their energy costs and achieve record energy savings in 2010. For the past year, Zero Zone has worked closely with the program, which helps eligible residents and businesses install cost effective, energy efficient and renewable energy projects. The program’s efforts help residents and businesses deal with rising energy costs, while also protecting
the environment.
Focus on Energy credits Zero Zone for contributing to its positive results last year. Zero Zone provided energy-efficient products for more than 20 Wisconsin projects that received financial incentives from Focus on Energy, amounting to nearly half a million dollars. Through the program, Zero Zone also helped its customers save more than $650,000 on their energy bills last year.
In addition to the monetary incentives and savings businesses received, the use of energy efficient products made by Zero Zone helped the environment by removing the equivalent of approximately 6,700 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with Wisconsin’s 2010 Focus on Energy projects alone.
“We are proud to have made such a huge impact on our customers’ energy and environmental goals,” says Petersen. “And these numbers are only for the state of Wisconsin. Nationwide, the impact has the potential to be much greater. We look forward to continuing to contribute to these numbers in the years to come.”
Most states have their own energy incentive and/or rebate programs, similar to Wisconsin’s. Information about incentives available in other states can be accessed through the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
Zero Zone, Inc., headquartered in North Prairie, Wisconsin, is a respected manufacturer of refrigerated display cases for supermarkets as well as grocery, convenience, dollar and drug stores. With a half century of manufacturing expertise, Zero Zone also provides the finest refrigeration systems and electrical distribution systems to food retailers and industrial customers through its manufacturing facility in Ramsey, Minnesota. Zero Zone employees are committed to exceeding customer expectations through innovation, quality and responsiveness. For more about Zero Zone, visit www.zero-zone.com.
