Not so long ago, the choice between economic growth and protecting the environment was positioned as diametrically opposed ideas. To maximize profits, businesses weren’t incentivized to make climate considerations. Meanwhile, eco-minded operations typically faced higher costs. It was a zero-sum game.
Leading bodies such as the United Nations (UN) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are working toward net zero emissions by 2050. This is affecting change in governmental policy, and businesses are following suit, incentivized to invest in climate mitigation. Fortunately, we’re already beginning to see the gap closing.
In the best-case scenarios, such as the development of R-290 — an environmentally friendly refrigerant — the benefits to both business and the climate are unbeatable. It’s a win-win.
Let’s take a closer look at how R-290 is revolutionizing the refrigeration industry.
R U ready to save money?
Unlike refrigerants of old, R-290 is a propane-based alternative to synthetic hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-based refrigerants. Its thermodynamic properties make R-290 an energy-efficient and high-performance refrigerant that affects any operation’s bottom line.
Without getting too technical, R-290 requires less energy to achieve a desired temperature. This is due to its chemistry. It exhibits higher heat transfer rates and better coefficient of performance (COP) compared to other refrigerants. In other words, cooling is optimized. This results in operators spending less on energy, an automatic savings.
The older, synthetic refrigerants leaked more than R-290, which benefits from being in a sealed system. No more leaks lead to fewer calls to repair services. Furthermore, synthetic refrigerants are more expensive than R-290. And as more and more foodservice equipment moves to using R-290, the price will come down. Using R-290 promises a future of fewer repair calls using a less expensive refrigerant. Cha-ching!
As a bonus, changing over to R-290 is rather frictionless. The only difference a customer will notice is that R-290 compressors require more cool air than their predecessors. This means that while the foodservice equipment using R-290 will have the same footprint in an operation as its predecessors, it needs a 12 by 12 inch (305 by 305 mm) intake and exhaust vent. Hatco makes this conversion easy by including a 240 inch (6096 mm) expandable air conduit with all R-290 products to facilitate correct installation.
R U ready to save the planet?
There’s no way to sugarcoat the damage synthetic HFC-based refrigerants do to the earth’s sensitive atmosphere. According to an AP news article, scientists have called HFC-based refrigerants everything from “super-pollutants” to the “most potent greenhouse gas known to science.” The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to phase out these pollutants and encourage the development of more eco-friendly alternatives.
The stage was set for R-290, a wonder refrigerant. It has almost no greenhouse effect and doesn’t harm the ozone layer, unlike traditional refrigerants. As a result, R-290 provides operators with sustainable, eco-friendly refrigeration. Scientists use two scales when deciding the long-term negative effects a substance can have on the planet.
The first benchmark is Global Warming Potential (GWP), which determines the magnitude of a greenhouse gas. A rating of 0 means that a substance causes no extra burden to the earth’s troposphere. The lower the rating, the less that a gas is responsible for trapping the sun’s warmth in a “greenhouse.” R-290 has a GWP of 3, which is extremely low. To put that in context, some of the more common refrigerants of the past few decades have startling GWP measurements: R-32 is 657, R-22 is 1,810 and R-410A is 2,088.
The second scale is Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP), a metric to determine how much a substance destroys atmospheric ozone — the good kind of ozone — which is necessary for filtering out harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. Incredibly, R-290 has an ODP of 0. The higher the value of ODP, the higher the toxic potential of damaging the ozone layer.
Synthetic refrigerants were rife with environmental impact challenges as they had HFCs which have very high GWP and ODP ratings — a double whammy. Furthermore, R-290 has a shorter atmospheric lifetime than its forerunners, which greatly reduces its environmental footprint. By selecting equipment that uses R-290 refrigerant, operators can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.
R U familiar with Hatco’s R-290 products?
Commercial kitchens, buffet lines, cafeterias, restaurants, cafés, grocers, c-stores, to-go concepts and hybrid stores are always looking for a cost-saving edge. When that edge also puts them in position to be in environmental compliance down the road, R-290 technology is a no-brainer. Hatco offers a variety of refrigeration solutions for any need. As you can see below, R-290 is a versatile and practical refrigerant.
- The Cold Undermount Shelf is the secret workhorse below many chilled food buffets. The aluminum surface is designed to be mounted directly against the underside of a granite or quartz countertop, which means cooling transfers through the countertop to the top side for a truly seamless installation.
- The Cold Built-In Flush Top Simulated Stone Shelf and Cold Built-In Flush Top Shelf are aesthetically pleasing food-safe shelves designed to keep pre-chilled food products in the perfect chill zone for serving. And the Cold Built-In Flush Top Simulated Stone Shelves are available in three beautiful stone colors — Night Sky (standard), Gray Granite and Bermuda Sand — to match any décor.
- The Refrigerated Drop-In Well and Refrigerated Slim Drop-In Well provide environmentally friendly insulation on the sides and bottom. This leads to even chilling from top to bottom for better cold retention and cost savings.
- The Drop-In Frost Top and Drop-In Slim Frost Top are specially designed to safely hold quick-turnaround, pre-chilled food products at optimum serving temperatures. Eco-friendly insulation on the sides and bottom ensures better cold retention.
R U ready to make a difference?
R-290 refrigerant reduces carbon footprint and costs. When this aligns with an overarching business culture that favors sustainability initiatives, the move to R-290 can be downright altruistic.
Foodservice equipment cooled by R-290 refrigerant can make a noticeable difference in your customers’ operations — and in the world. Contact Hatco today to learn how you can help your customers make the switch to R-290.
