West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee Inc.’s latest location at 1300 West Burlington Ave. in Fairfield, which opened April 12, is not only the company’s second LEED-certified store, but it also is one of less than 15 supermarkets in the country that has achieved U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) GreenChill Gold-Level certification.
Working in partnership, Hy-Vee and Hill Phoenix, a leading designer and manufacturer of commercial refrigeration products, mapped out a plan to incorporate refrigeration systems throughout the 64,000-s.f. store that would benefit the environment. Hy-Vee has outfitted the store with Hill Phoenix Second Nature® Technology systems.
With this advanced system, Hill Phoenix is able to replace a significant amount of R404A refrigerant with food grade propylene glycol and circulate this 35 percent aqueous propylene glycol fluid throughout the sales floor to refrigerate product displayed in the medium temperature cases and coolers.
Hy-Vee has also incorporated Hill Phoenix Coolgenix® patented case technology in its deli and seafood cases. These cases offer a host of advantages, most notably the ability to control product temperature within one degree of the desired temperature.
Both the Hill Phoenix Second Nature Medium Temperature and Low Temperature systems offer significant benefits for the store and the environment:
- the total HFC refrigerant charge will be reduced by 2,500 pounds, a 60 percent reduction over both systems;
- here is a 14 percent reduction in leak rates over a standard DX system, saving more than 883 pounds of refrigerant per year;
- and the total annual carbon footprint of the store will be reduced by 27 million pounds of CO2.
