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Frozen Aisle: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Our continued investments in improving refrigeration and air conditioning systems in our stores have reduced energy usage, saving up to 165,000 kilowatt-hours annually per store by using high-efficiency fan motors in back room freezers and installing doors on traditionally open refrigerated cases. In addition to energy reduction efforts in our refrigerated equipment, we also have a strong focus on reducing refrigerant emissions.

We are committed to addressing the impact of our refrigeration emissions through continued guidance and collaboration with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Additionally, we place a strong focus on regular and ongoing training with our technicians on new refrigeration technologies. We recently enhanced our training program by converting one of our buildings to a training facility with refrigeration equipment from our new store models so our technicians get the hands-on training they need to properly maintain our systems.

We are committed to addressing the impact of our refrigeration emissions through continued guidance and collaboration with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Additionally, we place a strong focus on regular and ongoing training with our technicians on new refrigeration technologies. We recently enhanced our training program by converting one of our buildings to a training facility with refrigeration equipment from our new store models so our technicians get the hands-on training they need to properly maintain our systems.

Publix is a founding partner of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill program which works to help food retailers lower refrigerant charge sizes, eliminate leaks, transition to environmentally friendlier refrigerants, and adopt green refrigeration technologies and best environmental practices. The partnership has three main programs that help food retailers reduce their refrigerant emissions: the Food Retailer Corporate Emissions Reduction Program, the Store Certification Program for Advanced Refrigeration, and the Advanced Refrigeration Promotion Program. As of February 2023, we have 70 stores that have achieved Silver GreenChill certifications and 37 stores that have received Gold GreenChill certifications. We now have two Platinum Certified stores, store 1688 in Longwood, Florida and store 1731 in Chatanooga, Tennessee.

Did you know? We’ve made our own hot water since the late ’70s by capturing waste heat generated from our refrigeration systems.