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1st pilot project

16-Oct-2019

The Life C4R initiative is taking shape with the inauguration of the first pilot system, realised at the sales point Conad Centro Nord of Carpenedolo (North of Italy). This project is the outcome of the long-standing collaboration between Epta and the Supermarket brand and their continuous attention to benefit environmental responsibility.

 

Conad Centro Nord has positively welcomed Epta’s proposal to participate in the Life C4R programme - Carbon for Retail Refrigeration – promoted by the Epta Group and co-financed by the European Union according to contract n°. LIFE 17 CCM/IT/000120. At the heart of the project is the FTE Full Transcritical Efficiency system patented by Epta, which allows to exceed the traditional limits of transcritical technology. It has been identified by the European Union as worthy of particular attention thanks to its efficiency and simplicity. The Plan was devised to raise awareness among the scientific community, the suppliers of components and all the players of the Retail world on the use of increasingly sustainable solutions and to show that it is possible to completely replace HCFC and HFC refrigerants with transcritical CO2 at any latitude and temperature. This guarantees a 10% energy saving in the refrigeration system (compared with standard solutions), a significant reduction in the carbon footprint on all the value chain and up to 20% lower installation and maintenance costs.

Thanks to the efficiency of the three Italian pilot projects and of the four replica prototypes in Romania and Spain, installed together with the partners Epta Iberia and DAAS, the Plan will ensure an overall saving of 54.514 kWh/year, namely 59.057 washing machine cycles, 8,000 TCO2eq and 2 tons of HCFC and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) throughout the European Union equal to at least 1.5% between 2018 and 2021.

Epta and Conad Centro Nord together assessed which store would be most suited for the Project and the choice fell on the store of Carpenedolo that proved to be ideal because of the climatic profile of the lower Po Valley, which has high maximum summer temperatures.

The systems with heat recovery and the latest generation refrigerated cabinets branded Costan chosen to enhance fresh and frozen products will contribute to guaranteeing even higher energy performance. The food area of Conad Centro Nord of Carpenedolo boasts vertical closed cabinets GranVista Next and GranBering for packed products and serve-over cabinets Velvet with Design aesthetic for the Deli & Butcher department, which add a touch of style to an eco-friendly store.