Fresh Thinking - Blog

Most technicians aren’t ready for alternative refrigeration changes on the horizon, but Hillphoenix is working (and training) hard to change that. By Rusty Walker Hillphoenix Senior Corporate Trainer One thing really surprised contractor Kurt Hugger about his CO2 training session: How simple it was to learn the alternative refrigeration system. “A lot of people are intimidated by CO2. But, honestly, it’s very easy to work on,” Kurt told me after completing one of our on-site training sessions at a supermarket in California where his company, CHM Mechanical, is based. “There are different components and pressures,” he noted, “but it operates

Nearly 30 ATMOsphere America attendees took a road trip from Atlanta to Hillphoenix’s Conyers, Georgia, headquarters for a day of delving into refrigeration technologies and trends — and a firsthand look at the latest cooling technology for food retailers. Hillphoenix’s June 24 Technology Symposium, managed by Supermarket Sense, was called “State-of-the-Art is Due for an Update.” It covered refrigeration topics and trends crucial to supermarkets, convenience stores and other food retailers. Among them: Current regulations and anticipated regulatory changes Emerging alternative refrigeration case technology, including developments in Hillphoenix’s Second Nature® CO2 Booster, Cascade and Secondary systems Ways to extend product

By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC People ask me all the time if the EPA is ever going to get off their backs about the refrigerant they use. My answer is always the same: The only way that will happen is if the industry stops using refrigerants that harm the environment. For the first time since the EPA started regulating refrigerants in supermarkets, it is possible for a supermarket to operate using 100% natural refrigerants. With the use of CO2, we have a refrigerant that is safe for the ozone layer and for our climate. The EPA’s refrigerant

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 HFC-free system that uses non-toxic, non-flammable CO2 as its only refrigerant. Both Advansor CO2 and AdvansorFlex CO2 are part of Hillphoenix’s industry-leading Second Nature® line of alternative refrigeration systems. Because it relies solely on plentiful, all-natural CO2, AdvansorFlex is DOE

Hillphoenix congratulates all the 2015 GreenChill Environmental Achievement Award recipients who, along with Hillphoenix, were recognized by EPA Greenchill at the GreenChill Partnership’s annual Achievement Awards on September 29. Hillphoenix, a pioneer in designing environmentally sustainable refrigeration systems, received a 2014-2015 Achievement Award – Store Certification Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership program. It’s the company’s fifth GreenChill award since the program launched in 2007. For the third year in a row, Hillphoenix was the only non-grocery recipient of a GreenChill Store Certification Excellence award. “We are honored by this recognition from EPA GreenChill. Since GreenChill was established

By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC This is the second article in a three-part series on sustainability and refrigerants. In part I of my series on communicating about sustainability in refrigeration with consumers, I discussed why it is difficult to make refrigeration relevant to stores’ consumers. Notice I said difficult – not impossible. Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be a challenge. And if there is anything we all love in this industry, it’s a challenge. I received my first lesson in the relevance of supermarket refrigeration to

By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC This is the first article in a three-part series on sustainability and refrigerants. In this day and age, most supermarket companies recognize that their customers care about the environment and their communities. Customers want to spend their money at businesses that share those values. They want to feel good about where they shop, so they want to know that their grocery store is helping to make their community a better place. Given these facts, and given the enormous progress that many supermarket companies have made in reducing the environmental impact of their

By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC In Parts I and II of the series on sustainability and refrigerants, I listed some of the reasons why it can be difficult to communicate with grocery shoppers about sustainable refrigeration. This third installment provides tactics for clear, simple, and compelling communication — as well as tips to avoid common mistakes. First, I need to address readers who expect a fill-in-the blank communication template that works for everyone and every topic. Stop reading now. You are going to be disappointed. The truth of the matter is, there is no universal formula for

By Keilly Witman KW Refrigerant Management Strategy LLC The difference between mediocre communication and compelling communication lies in your message’s credibility, appeal, relevance, and distinctiveness. However, just like in refrigeration, when you fail to look at the whole picture, you wind up changing certain elements only to bring others out of whack. You lower your head pressure to save energy, but in doing so you lose heat reclaim capacity, which uses more energy, which brings you right back to square one. Similarly, in communication, overdoing it on one element, like distinctiveness, makes it harder to achieve another element, like credibility.