Selecting the appropriate refrigerant in your commercial cold room

Selecting the appropriate refrigerant in your commercial cold room is key to energy consumption, cooling capacity, and environmental viability. The best refrigerant is a question of your cold room (chiller or freezer) application, usage and UK regulation.

1. Typical Refrigerants in Cold Rooms
   R134a
   Suitable in medium temperate cold rooms (e.g. chilled storage 0oC to + 5oC). It is stable, efficient and widely used, but it is slowly being phased out because of high Global Warming Potential (GWP).

R404A
The refrigerants are traditionally used in low temperature freezer rooms ( -18 o C to -22 o C). Its GWP is however extremely high, and is being phased out under UK F-Gas regulations.

R448A / R449A
They are contemporary low-GWP substitutes to R404A. They are highly effective at cooling medium and low temperatures. Appropriate to both new installations and retrofit.

R452A
An adequate interim that has comparable characteristics to R404A, yet a lower GWP. Common in transport refrigeration and small commercial systems.

Natural Refrigerants (e.g. R744- CO 2, R290-Propane)
Green, ultra-low GWP. R290 is very efficient in small cold rooms and R744 (CO2) in large scale installations. They, however, need special systems and installers.

1. Optimal 2025 and Beyond
   R448A or R449A have been the most suitable refrigerants to use in most of the commercial cold rooms in the UK. They are future-proof, efficient and F-Gas compliant. In the case of businesses committed to the environment, R290 or CO 2 is a natural refrigerant that should be explored, particularly when regulations become stricter.

At CaterServe UK we can assist you to select and install the correct system that has the most appropriate refrigerant to meet performance, compliance and