By Jonathan Tan, VP Energy Services The AMS Group, Hillphoenix In the commercial building space, grocery stores rank #1 for energy intensity, using more energy per square foot than even health care facilities. As consumer demand for more fresh and frozen foods grows, energy intensity will too, with more store space devoted to refrigerated and freezer cases. Improving energy efficiency [...]
By Leigha Joyal Energy Analyst, Hillphoenix Food retail is among the most electricity intensive commercial enterprises, and store owners want to reduce their consumption and their bills. Utilities want to see that happen, too. Containing consumption is more cost effective for utilities than expanding the electric grid. That’s why they have incentive programs that defray some of the costs of [...]
Over the past several years, some notable trends have brought changes to the retail refrigeration space. Grocery stores are getting smaller, fresh-food options are gaining ground at retailers of every size, and ozone-depleting refrigerants continue to be pushed out by natural and sustainable options. At the spot where small-format, fresh-format, and sustainability converge, retailers may find themselves in unfamiliar territory [...]
If you’re going to reward improvement, you need a baseline against which to measure it. Therein lies one of the many challenges facing refrigeration end-users seeking utility incentives for upgrades and new installations. As utilities, manufacturers and end-users work together to make newer, more energy efficient equipment more affordable through incentives, the lack of standard industry benchmarks makes the process [...]
For small-format retailers interested in making the switch to natural CO2 refrigeration, their options just got considerably more appealing. AdvansorFlex, the latest addition to Hillphoenix’s evolving Advansor CO2 platform, is engineered to ensure straightforward installation and smooth operation from day one. Whether part of a new store construction or a remodels, the installation of refrigeration equipment is a major consideration [...]
By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC Convenience stores and drugstores have long had the luxury of being blissfully unaware of refrigerant environmental regulations. Historically, most retailers in this sector were able to meet their refrigeration needs with self-contained refrigeration equipment that uses less than 50 pounds of refrigerant, meaning that most of the EPA’s Section 608 regulations did [...]
By Margie Proctor Hillphoenix Marketing & Design Specialist Whether they’re stopping at Starbucks or a convenience store, Americans increasingly want fresh options. The desire for fresh and healthy foods runs the gamut from snacks to ready-made meals. Just look at the research: 78% of consumers are on a mission to eat more fresh and fewer processed foods, according to the [...]
Hillphoenix, a pioneer in designing environmentally sustainable refrigeration systems, now brings HFC-free refrigeration to small and medium-sized retailers. The company’s new AdvansorFlex CO2 refrigeration system delivers all the benefits of natural CO2 refrigeration in a compact and scalable format that is perfect for stores of every size. As part of the evolving Advansor CO2 platform, AdvansorFlex is an environmentally sustainable [...]
By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC The fundamental difficulty with the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is that, for most utilities in the country, greenhouse gas emissions in and of themselves are irrelevant. Most of the world’s population thinks that energy use and greenhouse gas emissions are one and the same, but utilities are well aware that [...]