International. Emerson reported that it has worked with Germany's independent air treatment and refrigeration institute ILK Dresden to analyze the long-term cost implications of different cooling systems using low-GWP refrigerants.
The study was carried out as European regulation of fluorinated gases and the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol are forcing retailers to re-evaluate their refrigeration systems and transition to more environmentally sustainable technologies.
The analysis compared the two main low-GWP cooling technologies: remote CO2 rack systems and integral display cases using propane refrigerant (R290). It concluded that due to the simplicity of the integral showcases, compared to larger and more complex remote rack systems, store operators could achieve significant savings of more than €50,000 per system. Any operator with 10,000 stores could therefore achieve potential savings of more than €500,000,000 over a ten-year lifespan of their refrigeration systems.
The study focused on a typical European discount store with 10 showcases per store and a sales area of approximately 1,000 m2. He found that retailers can make the following savings at each of their stores through a variety of factors:
Cost-benefit - Savings per store
Reduction of capital investment* - € 29,204
Lower energy consumption* - € 9.093
Lower service, maintenance and insurance costs* - 6.429 €
Simplest decommissioning* - € 2.014
Reduction of store closing time during installation - 1.800 €
Reduced cost of closing the store during restoration - 1.800 €
Loss of performance due to leaks - € 715
Total savings over 10 years of service life - € 51.055
* Results of the ILK Dresden study
Eric Winandy, Director of Integrated Solutions at Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions, said: "The environmental impact of refrigeration is significant, and recent international agreements are forcing operators to reconsider the systems they use. As the retail sector makes this transition once in a generation, it presents itself with a huge challenge, but also an opportunity to select the right technologies that can maximize long-term environmental, operational and cost benefits."
He added: "Our analysis shows that choosing a cooling system involves much more than just the need to move to a refrigerant with low GWP. It has important implications for store operations, maintenance and overall facility operating costs. Full-face showcases won't be appropriate for every store, but the significant cost benefits they can offer highlight the fact that retailers need to consider all options and all implications of options."
