One of the biggest home appliance manufacturers in the world, Swedish multinational AB Electrolux, began using propane refrigerant in its ecostore refrigerated cabinets in January 2019, according to U.K. magazine Catering Insight.
“The introduction to R290 to our ecostore cabinets range [..] is the latest step on our sustainability journey,” Steve Bowler, design and product manager at Electrolux Professional UK, told Catering Insight. “Not only will it help extend the operational life of the application-critical components within the unit, ensuring the unit’s performance will remain at the high level we expect, but R290’s enhanced environmental credentials will ensure our impact on the planet is kept to an absolute minimum.”
(AB Electrolux announced on 1 February that it is preparing to split the company into two listed companies, “Electrolux” for household appliances and “Electrolux Professional” for professional appliances.)
The ecostore range, aimed at the catering and foodservice industry, includes the ecostoreHP range of refrigerated counters, which has a Climate Class 5 rating, ensuring that any contents will remain at the same temperature, even in ambient temperatures reaching 40°C.
The ecostore range is also A-rated, under the European Commission’s Minimum Energy Performance standards (MEPs), for energy efficiency.
For insulation, the ecostore range also employs a hydrocarbon foam, cyclopentane, which is estimated to lead to 20% energy savings compared to other foams on the market, according to Catering Insight.
“Most importantly for our dealers and customers however, is that the refrigerant change will not result in an increase on the unit price,” Bowler added.
Want to find out more, or have something to say about this story? Join the ATMO Connect network to meet and engage with like-minded stakeholders in the clean cooling and natural refrigerant arena.
