Sprouts Farmers Market® and Hillphoenix Open the First Warm Climate CO2 Transcritical Store in Southeast U.S.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) June 27, 2014

Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market is entering the Southeast in a big way. With one of its first stores in the metro-Atlanta area, the fast growing healthy grocery store chain is bringing the first CO2-based, HFC-free supermarket refrigeration system to a warm weather market in North America.

The transition to CO2 as a sustainable alternative for supermarket refrigeration is booming in cold climate markets, with roughly 2000 transcritical CO2 systems operating worldwide in cold weather cities. Until now, the southernmost Hillphoenix Advansor transcritical CO2 booster system in North America was located in Chicago.

Sprouts’ new store opens on July 18 in Dunwoody, Georgia and will run on an Advansor transcritical booster system that entirely eliminates the use of HFCs (hydro- fluorocarbons), which was for decades the refrigerant of choice in the supermarket industry. HFCs are damaging to the Earth’s protective ozone layer and contribute to global warming. One pound of leaked HFC refrigerant can cause more global warming than 2000-4000 pounds of carbon dioxide. Increasingly, food retailers are moving toward more sustainable natural refrigerants including CO2, glycol and ammonia.

Retailers and engineers in North America have widely questioned whether a CO2 transcritical system – the cleanest and most environmentally friendly HFC-free option for commercial refrigeration – could be operated efficiently in areas where the ambient temperature climbs above 85 ºF. Energy efficient, economical transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems are normally limited to colder climates due to the limitations of air-cooled gas coolers. The key to Sprouts’ new system is a proprietary TrilliumSeries™ hybrid evaporative condenser designed for Hillphoenix by Baltimore Air.

“We worked with Baltimore Air Coil to develop a new product that's a hybrid evaporative condenser adapted for use with CO2,” said Scott Martin, director, sustainable technologies at Hillphoenix. “Evaporative condensers offer energy savings by providing lower system condensing temperatures than conventional air-cooled or water-cooled condensing systems.”

With its new Dunwoody store, Sprouts aims to change the industry’s preconceived notions about warm climate operation of transcritical CO2 systems, demonstrating that it is a viable option for retailers seeking a more sustainable, energy efficient refrigeration option.

“Central to Sprouts’ identity is a genuine commitment to responsible retailing,” said Ted Frumkin, senior vice president of business development, Sprouts Farmers Market. “This innovative partnership with Hillphoenix helps Sprouts reduce waste and our environmental impact, which we know is important to our customers and our team members.”

About Hillphoenix

Hillphoenix 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 http://www.hillphoenix.com or call 800-283-1109 for more information.

About Sprouts

Sprouts Farmers Market® is a healthy grocery store offering fresh, natural and organic foods at great prices. We offer a complete shopping experience that includes fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, meat and seafood, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items catering to consumers' growing interest in health and wellness. Recently named one of the top five supermarket chains by Consumer Reports and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprouts employs more than 15,000 team members and operates more than 175 stores in ten states. For more information, visit http://www.sprouts.com or @sproutsfm on Twitter.

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