FOLSOM, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Hill PHOENIX, a designer and manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment, and Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market are pleased to announce the grand opening of a new GreenChill Platinum Award-winning Fresh & Easy store in Folsom, California. GreenChill is an E.P.A. Partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
A typical supermarket in the U.S. uses approximately 3,500 pounds of refrigerant. The Fresh & Easy Folsom store uses just 70 pounds – a 98 percent reduction that earned it GreenChill's highest award.
"Environmental responsibility is part of our DNA. We've made a commitment to invest in sustainable technologies from the start," said Steve Hagen, director of procurement and engineering at Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. "Using new natural refrigerants puts Fresh & Easy on the forefront of sustainability our industry and ultimately makes these emerging technologies more cost effective for everyone."
"The Folsom store is a fantastic example of the innovation that can be accomplished when government works together with businesses in a voluntary partnership to protect the environment and save money at the same time," said Deborah Jordan, Director of EPA Region 9's Air Division. "We are proud to be involved in this very successful project."
Fresh & Easy's Folsom store features Hill PHOENIX Second Nature(R) medium temperature fixtures and walk-ins running on glycol and low temperature fixtures and walk-ins running on C02. Glycol and C02 are environmentally friendly, natural alternatives to harmful HFC refrigerants.
"Fresh & Easy selected a Second Nature Compact Chiller system that effectively eliminates all HFCs from the store's refrigeration system by using medium temperature glycol to condense the low temperature CO2. This is typically achieved with an HFC refrigerant," explained Henry Pellerin, director, marketing programs for Hill PHOENIX. "The Folsom Fresh & Easy is the only store in the nation, to date, that uses this innovative type of system."
Hill PHOENIX Second Nature Compact Chiller (SNCC) is the most environmentally friendly system available in the industry today. SNCC utilizes a unique heat exchanger technology that allows engineers to design a typical medium temperature supermarket system with the lowest refrigeration charge of any commercial refrigeration system on the market. As a result, retailers like Fresh & Easy can achieve a sustainable zero leak rate. SNCC is comprised of multiple compact chiller modules. Each module is a standalone refrigeration system and is completely factory-assembled, charged and run-tested prior to delivery.
GreenChill's Store Certification Program is the only certification program in the nation that focuses on greener refrigeration. The Program's chief goal is to reduce refrigerant emissions from supermarkets that damage the Earth's protective ozone layer and contribute to global warming. A pound of leaked refrigerant can cause more global warming than 2000-4000 pounds of carbon dioxide.
About Hill PHOENIX:
Hill PHOENIX Inc., a Dover Company, is based in Conyers, Ga. The company designs and manufactures commercial refrigerated display cases and specialty products, refrigeration systems, integrated power distribution systems and walk-in coolers and freezers. Visit www.hillphoenix.com or call 800-283-1109 for more information.
About Fresh & Easy:
Fresh & Easy opened its first stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada in 2007 and set out to change the way consumers shop by making fresh meals and groceries more affordable and accessible. The company expanded into Northern California last year and now has more than 185 stores.
On average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30 percent less energy than a typical supermarket, which helps the environment and saves customers money. Fresh & Easy uses LED lighting in external signs and freezer cases, offers customer recycling in every store and uses advanced refrigeration and freezer units to cut back on energy usage. The company also recycles or reuses all of its display packaging, sending the majority back through its distribution center.
For more information about Fresh & Easy, visit www.freshandeasy.com .
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