Sprouts offers high-efficiency HVAC, refrigeration solutions

Culver City, Calif. A new Sprouts Farmers Market that opened late June in Culver City, Calif., is projected to use 50% less refrigerant than the industry average, thanks to high-performance heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions that meet the company's sustainability objectives.

The 32,800-sq.-ft. new store features solutions from Hussmann and Trane that allowed Sprouts to achieve the Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill "Gold" certification, which represents Sprouts' fifth GreenChill award since becoming a new partner member with the EPA GreenChill program last year.

Hussmann and Trane collaborated with Sprouts on two projects that received "Gold" awards and one that received a "Silver" award.

Sprouts said the store will become the chain's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified store later this year.

"Choosing these energy-efficient systems reflects our commitment to being an environmentally responsible business within the community," said Doug Sanders, president and COO, Sprouts Farmers Market.

Prior to selecting HVAC and refrigeration solutions for the new store, the Sprouts team conducted an energy analysis to identify the most effective solutions for the space. Based on the results, they selected Hussmann Protocol distributed refrigeration systems designed to be placed on top of walk-in coolers close to the refrigerated cases to allow for short piping and use of less refrigerant.

By combining these systems with energy-efficient SEER 15 HVAC solutions, Sprouts has been able to achieve substantial savings in construction and energy costs and refrigerant.