UK: Simulation tests comparing alternative refrigeration technologies are said to show that low GWP HFO/HFC blends provide the best emissions reductions and lowest life cycle costs for stores below 2,000m².

The new study, conducted by Yorkshire-based consultants Wave Refrigeration on behalf of refrigerant manufacturer Chemours, compared seven alternative refrigeration technologies in two different store architectures in moderate and high European ambient conditions.

Chemours maintains that the results reveal that choosing future refrigerant technology purely on the GWP of the refrigerant alone is a poor indicator of the total climate change emissions produced by a refrigeration system. Refrigeration technologies using non-fluorinated products such as hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide often lead to excessive 10-year life cycle costs (LCC) to achieve minimal emissions reductions when compared to the baseline R404A replacement R449A technology, the report says.