Submitted by Glen Estill and Rod Layman, Climate Action Committee
Hellyer’s Foodland has recently re-opened following last year’s fire. As part of the store repairs, they installed a whole new refrigeration system.
The previous system had more than 20 different compressors cooling product cases and freezers, and occupied most of a wall in the back of the store. The system was old, and inefficient, and used a lot more electricity than the new system. The new system does the work of 20 with just one compressor and uses 50 to 70% less refrigerant and piping.
The old system created so much waste heat that, at the time the fire started, the store was in the process of installing a heat pump just to reduce the heat in the compressor room.
According to Kyle Hellyer, one of the proprietors, the decision to go with the new system was easy. In addition to reducing electricity consumption, the cost of the centralized unit was much less than that of replacing the old units. Some of the old units couldn’t even be replaced. Repairs to the old compressors had cost as much as $8,000 to $10,000. The new system had a price tag of $60,000. While the amount of electricity savings is still unknown, (since the utility bill hasn’t yet arrived), it should be considerably lower.
A computer system allows precision control of each cooling unit, which can be done remotely. Today, any adjustments are done by the installer, from Chatham ON. An audible alarm sounds if sensors detect something is wrong. The new system also reports refrigerant leaks, component failure, and offers direct control of each of the many food cases and freezers.
Cooling in grocery stores produces a lot of waste heat, which the new system disperses in warm weather through a rooftop unit. In the winter, this heat will be captured to assist in heating the store. This heat source will be backed up by the two propane furnaces that have heated the store during cold weather.
Kyle said that the store had replaced lighting with energy efficient LED lighting about 6 years ago, especially in the cooler cases and freezers. As part of the store refurbishment, insulation in the roof of (the new part of) the store was upgraded to R60. The improved insulation slows down heat loss or gain so much that the store has not needed air conditioning – the refrigeration system does it!
In Ontario, about 10% of our electricity is made from fossil gas, which contributes to climate change. So using electricity efficiently is important. And, by the way, saves a lot of money.
Congratulations Hellyer’s, on finding a win-win for the pocketbook, and the climate!
