SUPERMARKET REFIGERATION


leakage-related climate impact. It off ers a potential route to lower-GWP, medium-temperature refrigeration without a full system replacement.


RS-53 (R470A): addressing R410A air-conditioning equipment


Air conditioning is another major cooling load in supermarkets. R410A has been widely used but has a GWP of about 2,088. RS-53 (R470A) is a non-fl ammable alternative to R410A with a stated GWP of about 909, less than half that of R410A. RS-53 is designed to deliver similar performance, capacity and effi ciency to R410A while remaining compatible with common R410A materials and lubricants. It may provide a retrofi t pathway to reduce emissions from existing air-conditioning assets.


Retrofi t versus replacement For a supermarket operator, the choice between retrofi t and replacement should be based on the total lifecycle cost and environmental impact rather than refrigerant GWP alone. A retrofi t can off er several advantages:


■ Lower capital expenditure than complete equipment replacement.


■Reduced disruption to store operations. ■Extended service life of existing refrigeration equipment. ■Lower direct refrigerant GWP. ■ Potentially reduced refrigerant procurement risk as high-GWP gases become increasingly constrained.


■ Retention of existing pipework, compressors and associated infrastructure where technically suitable.


However, retrofi t is not appropriate for every installation. The condition and age of the equipment, compressor design, system architecture, refrigerant charge, operating temperatures, energy effi ciency and remaining asset life must all be considered. There is also an important distinction between direct and


indirect environmental impact. A refrigerant with a lower GWP is not automatically the most sustainable solution if it causes a signifi cant deterioration in system effi ciency. The overall assessment should consider both refrigerant emissions and the electricity required to operate the system over its remaining life. RS-51, RS-53 and RS-20 demonstrate an important intermediate stage in the refrigerant transition: reducing the GWP of existing systems while retaining a non-fl ammable A1 safety classifi cation and minimising the modifi cations required for retrofi t.


These solutions should, however, be regarded as transitional technologies rather than the fi nal answer to the industry’s long- term refrigerant challenge. The ultimate direction of travel is towards refrigerants and technologies with very low or near-zero GWP, while maintaining acceptable safety, effi ciency, reliability and cost. Natural refrigerants such as CO₂, ammonia, and hydrocarbons already play an important role in parts of the market, but their safety characteristics, operating pressures, system architecture, and installation requirements mean they are not universal replacements for every existing installation. For existing A1 supermarket systems, the transition therefore needs to be managed pragmatically. A lower-GWP, non-


Download the ACR News app today


fl ammable retrofi t can reduce direct emissions today while allowing operators to plan the eventual transition to technologies capable of delivering much lower lifecycle environmental impacts. UK refrigeration infrastructure is fundamentally failing


during recent heatwaves because 99% of older commercial and domestic units were built decades ago to operate under a maximum ‘Climate Class’ of 32°C. When external temperatures exceed this limit, the system’s compressor goes into overdrive, runs continuously to reject heat, and eventually burns out or shuts down entirely. This vulnerability has triggered widespread supermarket stock liquidations, empty chilled aisles, and severe pressure on the broader UK Cold Chain Federation network. Refrigeration relies on a temperature diff erential to expel heat


from inside the unit into the surrounding environment. Extreme summer heatwaves break this mechanism in three major ways: 1.


Inadequate Climate Classifi cation: Historically, the UK used Subnormal (SN) or Normal (N) Climate Class appliances designed only for ambient room temperatures between 10°C and 32°C.


2. Compressor Fatigue: When ambient air hits 35°C or higher, the compressor cannot effi ciently drop the internal pressure. It runs continuously until it overheats and experiences mechanical failure.


3.


Building Insulation Traps: Most UK infrastructure and older retail environments were designed to retain heat for cold winters, driving indoor ambient kitchen and store temperatures far higher than the outdoor air temperature.


Supermarket refrigeration presents a particular challenge because it combines very high energy demand, continuous operation and a large installed base of long-lived equipment. Refrigeration and air conditioning can account for a substantial share of a supermarket’s electricity consumption, while refrigerant leakage adds another source of direct greenhouse gas emissions. The regulatory environment is steadily reducing reliance on high-GWP HFCs. In Great Britain, the existing HFC phase-down continues, while further reforms are being considered. For operators with existing R404A, R507, R134a or R410A equipment, the challenge is to reduce refrigerant-related emissions without unnecessarily replacing serviceable assets. Non-fl ammable retrofi t refrigerants such as RS-51 (R470B), RS-20 (R480A) and RS-53 (R470A) off er one potential transitional pathway. Their principal advantage is the combination of lower GWP and an A1 safety classifi cation, along with the option to retain existing equipment where technical compatibility is established.


The longer-term objective should nevertheless remain


the transition towards very-low-GWP refrigeration and air- conditioning technologies. Retrofi t solutions can help bridge the gap between today’s installed equipment and that future, providing supermarket operators with an opportunity to reduce direct emissions, manage regulatory risk and extend the useful life of existing assets while the next generation of refrigeration technology develops.


'The UK F-gas framework is phasing down HFCs, targeting a 79% reduction by 2030


relative to the 2009–2012 average use, through a


CO₂-equivalent quota system.'


www.acr-news.com • October 2026 17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36