The escalating demand for sustainable, energy-efficient, and environmentally conscious cooling technologies presents a compelling business case for CO₂ refrigeration. And U.S. businesses are taking notice.

In the ongoing battle against climate change, the U.S. supermarket sector is relentlessly pursuing innovative strategies to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance energy efficiency.

As more and more case-controlled facilities turn to CO₂ refrigeration, HVAC contractors are tasked with adequately educating themselves on these systems so that they can meet the country’s budding installation and service needs.

A pending global hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown and additional efficiency regulations have bolstered R-744’s position in the American food retail market, further accelerating interest in the refrigerant’s unique benefits.

CO₂ is a highly attractive refrigerant for contractors and end users because it boasts a global warming potential (GWP) of 1 and an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero.

The characteristics of CO₂ refrigeration are quite different from traditional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-based systems, which has created some misconceptions about applying it within U.S. food retail outlets.

All regulatory developments are impacting system architectures that favor lower refrigerant charges, natural refrigerants (CO₂ and R-290) and the emergence of lower-flammability A2L refrigerants.

Continued proliferation of CO₂ refrigeration systems around the globe has given equipment manufacturers opportunities to improve compression, controls and valve technologies — simplifying system management and bringing system costs into parity with traditional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) systems.