Congratulations to Whole Foods Market Dublin on the 2017 EPA Award
Zero Zone congratulates Whole Foods Market in Dublin, California, for receiving the prestigious 2016 Platinum Certification through the EPA GreenChill Partnership. This EPA Award is given to GreenChill-certified stores that demonstrate exemplary advancement in reducing emissions of environmentally harmful refrigerants.
Achievements and Recognition
Whole Foods Market Dublin earned this recognition by using a state-of-the-art refrigeration system. Specifically, they employed the Zero Zone ColdLoop™ Cascade Ammonia/CO2 with an Adiabatic Air-Cooled High Side Condenser. This innovative system played a crucial role in their achievement, showcasing their commitment to environmental sustainability.
Whole Foods Dublin did not stop at the Platinum Certification. They also tied with the Piggly Wiggly store in Columbus, GA, for the title of “the best GreenChill certified store of all stores certified in the past year” in 2016. This additional accolade further underscores their dedication to excellence in refrigeration practices.
Zero Zone’s Contribution
Zero Zone is extremely proud to have supplied the refrigeration system that helped Whole Foods Dublin achieve this highly regarded EPA Award. Our cutting-edge technology and commitment to sustainability align perfectly with the goals of the GreenChill Partnership. We are thrilled to see our systems making a positive impact.
Future Implications
This achievement by Whole Foods Dublin sets a benchmark for other stores aiming to reduce their environmental footprint. As regulations and standards continue to evolve, businesses must adopt advanced refrigeration systems that minimize harmful emissions. Zero Zone remains committed to providing solutions that meet these stringent requirements and support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals.
Learn More
For further information about Whole Foods Market’s award and the innovative refrigeration systems that contributed to their success, please contact Zero Zone at 800-247-4496 and ask for our Department of Regulatory Compliance and Refrigeration Technology. This message is informational only, and customers should review national and local laws and regulations to ensure compliance.
Way to go, Whole Foods Dublin! Your achievements inspire us all to strive for excellence in environmental stewardship.
Learn more about Whole Foods Market’s award here!
EPA2017: Changing Regulations for Retail Food Refrigeration
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.
Understanding New Responsibilities
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.
EPA Guidelines for Retail Food Refrigeration
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.”
Navigating EPA2017 Requirements
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:
- Determine if the system is a supermarket system (rack) or remote condensing unit.
- Identify the date it will become operational.
- Determine if it’s a new or a retrofit system.
- Apply EPA rules to the system design.
Zero Zone’s Commitment to Quality
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.
Helping Retailers Choose EPA Approved Refrigerants
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
Press Release
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.