CoolSys-Your partner in energy savings

OPTIMIZATION & RETROFITS

Door Retrofits

Lower energy costs, improved food safety, product integrity, reduced shrinkage, and enhanced customer comfort are important to the success of your store. Consider a door retrofit program for your open multi-deck refrigerated cases and replacing your existing older case doors with new ones to lower energy costs and improve product integrity.

The CoolSys Door Retrofit Program includes the enclosing of your multi-deck cases with retrofit glass doors and when required, replacing older doors with current technology doors. CoolSys can be your partner in helping you realize significant energy savings while enhancing the shopping experience for your customers.

EMS Retrofits

A new Energy Management System (EMS) is one of the most effective ways to manage energy consumption in a grocery store or industrial facility. An EMS is the foundation of any retailer’s energy and maintenance reduction strategy. Today’s leading EMSs are designed to provide complete control of building and refrigeration systems including compressor groups, condensers, walk-ins, HVAC units, and lighting. In addition to monitoring and reducing energy usage across equipment types in the store, EMS also provides for a gradual, automated starting-up and stopping of energy usage at the beginning and end of a stores operating hours. These systems also control energy usage to avoid spikes in demand that are costly for both a retailer and the broader energy grid.

Once an EMS is installed the system needs to be optimized for maximum and sustained effectiveness. CoolSys’s EMS team is expertly trained and experienced at installing EMS and programming new and existing systems.

Natural Refrigerants

The world of refrigeration and HVAC is changing as the more “traditional” HCFC refrigerants continue to be aggressively phased out by EPA regulations and by a focus on reduced carbon footprints and a “greener” society. Refrigeration & HVAC users have been forced to search for adequate replacements for their systems that meet new environmentally friendly standards. The use of natural refrigerants like CO2, propane, and ammonia is growing in the United States. While these refrigerants have been used in industrial applications for years and are prevalent throughout Europe and other countries, they are new to commercial applications in America.

Let CoolSys’s experienced team of engineers help you determine the best natural refrigerant options for your site and then work with you to design a system that provides the performance you need and the reduced carbon footprint that we all desire. As with all of our work, each natural refrigerant system is designed to minimize your Total Cost of Ownership while providing optimal performance.

Refrigerant Conversions

Environmental concerns, most notably the destruction of the earth’s ozone layer and Global Climate Change, present a serious challenge to owners of refrigeration and HVAC systems with HCFC and HFC refrigerants. As the HCFC production phase down completes its cycle in 2020, grocery retailers and facility managers now face restrictions on high GWP HFC refrigerants. Having an understanding of the rules and regulations that are in place, as well as a plan designed specifically for your facilities is our best advice in confronting these very important issues.

CoolSys is poised to provide a complete portfolio of products focused on the most viable refrigerant alternatives for your facility. We are ready to assist in the formulation of your conversion/refrigerant transformation strategy. Our refrigerant conversion experts can help with the design, planning, and execution of your plan.

Some Key items to keep in mind regarding refrigerant regulations and actions that may affect future directions:

HCFC Phase-out

  • The Montreal Protocol ODS/HCFC phase-out is on track, production stops January 1, 2020 (possibly sooner for some more obscure HCFC’s). Each year up to the end of 2019, a reduction in production allocations takes effect.
  • Common refrigerants affected by the HCFC phase-out include R22, R408A, R409A, R402A, and R401A. Supplies continue to be stressed, prices have been on a steep incline over the last couple of years.
  • Conversion replacement gas options have been a moving target, some are now not allowed due to their high GWP ratings (R404A, R507, R422D). Lower GWP alternatives such as R448A are leading the transition from HCFCs and some HFCs. This refrigerant has the lowest GWP rating of most replacements for R22 and R404A/R507, and functions similarly.
  • Conversion execution has become a familiar activity, as many stores and system types have been encountered, and processes have been refined.

 

Recent EPA Actions

  • Authority within SNAP (Strategic New Alternatives Policy) has been broadened to include alternatives to HCFCs. These include HFC/HFO substitute refrigerants. SNAP has the authority to “de-SNAP” certain refrigerants that were once considered viable alternatives, but now do not pass the “Low GWP” test.
  • EPA annual leak rate allowances have changed, and are effective 1-1-19. The following changes apply:
    • For Industrial Process Refrigeration, 30%, down from 35%
    • For Commercial Refrigeration, 20%, down from 35%
    • Comfort Cooling, 10% down from 15%
  • Periodic leak inspections are now the rule unless continuously monitored by an automatic leak detection system.
  • Leak repair verification tests are now the rule, required after a system has returned to normal operating conditions after the leak is repaired. Documentation is required for this event.
  • Some commonly used refrigerants, such as R404A, R407A, and R507 have been deemed unacceptable for use in new installations for retail food refrigeration effective 2021. Similar refrigerant restrictions for cold storage refrigeration have also been included, taking effect in 2023.
  • Use of common refrigerants such as R404A and R507 is prohibited for remodel or retrofit applications.

 

Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol

  • Provides for a phasedown process for HFC refrigerants as the use and proliferation of these substitutes are directly tied to the ODS phase-out, and have GWP characteristics many times higher than CO2.
  • The amendment establishes a baseline and pre-determined steps for the reduction in production allocations.
  • It is not a phase-out, but a mechanism to reduce production levels and the associated threat to the environment over time. The first reduction in production allocation occurs in 2024, with a baseline established for 2020-2022 average HFC consumption.

 

Emergence of Natural Refrigerants as an Alternative Solution

Over the last 10 years, the U.S. Commercial refrigeration industry has advanced the use of natural refrigerants for grocery retailers and other related installations. As the technology has evolved, retailers have enjoyed the benefits of having low or no GWP refrigerants in their systems, and have gathered significant data that points to these as being viable alternatives for new installations, and soon, retrofits. The natural refrigerants most widely used include Ammonia, CO2, and Propane. Each has its own unique design requirements. CoolSys has been involved with the design, installation, and maintenance of natural refrigerant systems for many years, and can provide an objective view of how these options may fit into your strategy.

The CoolSys Conversion Strategy can be broken down into 4 main elements: Program Planning and Organization; Survey and Engineering; Execution; Commissioning. Each element is described below in additional detail. It would be our intent to allow our customers to pick and choose the services that best fit their needs.

WHY CoolSys?

When choosing a partner to address your refrigerant transformation needs, you have options. If your goals include the development of a strategy that minimizes risk, keeps in step with the maze of regulations that one must decipher, ensures that your conversions are being executed in an efficient, consistent and professional manner, and leaves you with an efficient engineered and commissioned facility, Service is your only real option!

Process Step Key Components Customer Benefit/Value
Conversion Program Planning & Organization

– Planning, Budgeting

– Communication

– Prioritizing

– Refrigerant banking goals, options

– An overall conversion plan that considers risk mitigation, scope timing, cost, gas banking options, great tool for budgeting

– A well thought-out plan

Survey & Engineering

– Detailed engineering review to define scope of work for each conversion

– Survey of each location for enabling accurate engineering

– Recommendations for modifications/improvements for each store

Assurance that each conversion is being reviewed by professional engineers to ensure that the best refrigerant choice considering specific equipment and corporate GWP objectives – Opportunities for optimizing system performance post-conversions
Refrigerant Change-Out – Execution of change-outs per the detailed conversion plan and engineering review; coordinated with the local store operations to minimize store disruptions – Change-outs executed by the largest expert service provider in the industry with the size, expertise and resources to work around your schedule to minimize store disruptions and ensure the highest quality conversions; consistency
System Commissioning – Optimization of the entire system, including the EMS, post conversion

– Ensures that each newly converted system is optimized for energy usage and performance

 

 

VFDs

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, motor-driven equipment accounts for 64 percent of the electricity consumed by U.S. industry. As businesses come under increasing pressure to reduce energy use and operating costs, the installation or retrofit of variable-speed drives (VFDs) are emerging as a popular solution. VFDs reduce electrical energy consumption by adjusting a motor’s speed to match the required load.

Many electric motors simply do not need to run at 100-percent capacity all of the time — such as those that power Condensers and Air Handler Motors in grocery stores. By retrofitting these motors with VFDs, grocery stores and other facilities can control the equipment’s output to match the operation’s needs, saving energy when full output is not required, and with no impact to a system’s operation.

With advances in microelectronics and control technology over the past 10-15 years, VFDs have become an efficient and reliable means of controlling motor speed. Facilities that install VFDs will:

  • use less energy.
  • cut operating costs.
  • improve process precision.
  • eliminate the need for expensive and energy-wasting throttling mechanisms such as control valves and outlet dampers.
  • reduce wear and tear on motors and related components thus decreasing maintenance costs and prolonging equipment life.

CoolSys’s Optimization team is ready to work with you to install VFDs where appropriate and execute this simple but effective energy saving solution.