Are you a facility or construction manager for a California supermarket? Does your company have grocery stores in the Golden State? Then this post is for you.

Chances are you know something about California refrigerant regulations and the need for compliance. We’re here to take your knowledge further. Accutherm has rounded up the key California regulation facts so you can ask your refrigeration contractor intelligent questions.

For example, “Should I be considering a retrofit?” “Do I need to switch equipment?” “At what point should I make a move?” “What’s the difference between recommended refrigerants?”

There’s a lot to consider, especially the potential for severe fines. So, know your options and take action to be compliant. Your helpful California refrigerant regulations summary appears below.

To learn more about refrigerants that comply with California regulations, call Accutherm Refrigeration at (800) 692-1228 or email us at [email protected].

California Refrigerant Regulations Summary

California approved new regulations requiring specific Global Warming Potential (GWP) thresholds for new and existing food retail facilities.

• New Facilities: California food retailers may not use refrigerants above 150 GWP in new facilities with systems containing more than 50 pounds of refrigerant starting January 1, 2022. New facility requirements apply to any of the following conditions:
  • New construction
  • An existing facility not previously used for cold storage, retail food refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, industrial process refrigeration or ice rinks
  • An existing facility used for cold storage, retail food refrigeration, commercial refrigeration or industrial process refrigeration that has undergone replacement of 75% or more of its evaporators (by number) and 100% of its compressor racks and condensers
• Existing Facilities: California food retailers must meet one of the following GWP reduction targets across their existing facilities by 2030:
  • Attain a companywide weighted average GWP¹ of less than 1,400
  • Attain a 55% or more significant reduction in Greenhouse Gas Potential (GHGp)² below 2019 levels by 2030

Companies operating more than 20 facilities in California must also attain either a companywide weighted average GWP of less than 2,500 or a 25% or greater reduction in GHGp below 2019 levels by December 31, 2026.

Supermarket Effective Date: January 1, 2022

_{1. “Weighted-average GWP” is equal to ∑ (charge x GWP)/ ∑ charge}

_{2. “Greenhouse Gas Potential” or “GHGp” is equal to Σ (Charge × GWP)}

In 2022, the state also introduced a new bill (SB 1206) proposing a ban on the sale and distribution of virgin refrigerant >1400 GWP by 2025 and >600 GWP by 2030. The bill has not been signed into law.

Reference

Nasrc.org

SB1013 (approved) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xht      ml?bill_id=201720180SB1013

SB1206 (pending) https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/SB1206/2021