Refrigeration

Commercial and institutional buildings that have refrigeration systems, such as arenas, curling rinks, supermarkets and refrigerated warehouses, are a primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, partly because of their high energy consumption and use of synthetic refrigerants.

Integrated approach to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions

CanmetENERGY recommends the CoolSolution^® approach to optimize energy management and reduce GHG emissions of buildings requiring considerable refrigeration. This integrated approach combines advanced practices and technologies in the design and operation of refrigeration systems.

This approach has been used in demonstration projects, achieved in partnership with CanmetENERGY. These demonstration projects showed that it is possible to reduce energy consumption by almost 50% in arenas and curling rinks and by 25% in supermarkets, as well as reduce synthetic refrigerant leaks by 75%.

Development and optimization of emerging refrigeration technologies

To contribute to the development of more efficient refrigeration systems, CanmetENERGY conducts research and development (R&D) on applications and components of heat pump systems. The R&D focuses mainly on ground-source heat pumps, ejectors and thermal storage using ice slurry.

Managed by CanmetENERGY at the Varennes (Quebec) research centre.