EPA Launches GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership
December 3, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
The 10 GreenChill founding partners are:
- Whole Foods Market.
- Food Lion LLC.
- Giant Eagle Inc.
- Hannaford Bros. Co.
- Harris Teeter.
- Hill Phoenix.
- Honeywell International.
- Kysor/Warren.
- Publix Super Markets Inc.
- DuPont.
The partners have to pledge to go above regulatory requirements by establishing an inventory of refrigerant emissions that may affect climate change and the stratospheric ozone layer and then setting reduction targets for these emissions, according to the EPA.
Partners will also participate in an industry/government research initiative to assess the performance of cutting edge "green" technologies in terms of energy efficiency, reduction of ozone-depleting refrigerant charges and minimization of refrigerant leaks.
Adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies, best practices and improved equipment design and service are touted as reducing refrigerant emissions by one million metric tons of carbon equivalent per year or the equivalent of taking 800,000 automobiles off the road every year, claims the EPA.
To counteract the depletion of stratospheric ozone, partners have to guarantee to use only ozone-friendly alternatives and advanced refrigeration technologies in all new and remodeled stores, said the EPA.
The GreenChill partners' adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies could lead to increased energy efficiency and reduce operating expenses to the industry by over $12 million annually, claims the EPA.