New Weis Markets Will Reduce Refrigerant Charge

Three new stores being constructed by Weis Markets will incorporate technologies and systems expected to reduce store refrigerant usage by 50 percent compared to a typical supermarket, thus decreasing their impact on the environment.

In recent weeks, Weis Markets has started building superstores in three Pennsylvania locations: Bellefonte (Centre County), West Lawn (Berks County) and Fork Township (Northampton County).

The announcement was made at an award ceremony at Weis Markets’ Carlisle Street store in Hanover. This location was the first supermarket in Pennsylvania to earn a certification award from the GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, a voluntary Environmental Protection Agency alliance with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions.
“Reducing the environmental impact of our stores is a key part of being a good neighbor and we are committed to doing so in the years ahead,” said Kevin Small, Weis Markets VP of construction and development. “As a long-time proponent of sustainability and recycling, we have embraced the next generation of technology that will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint and operate our stores more efficiently. We plan for these three new stores to achieve GreenChill certification.”

To achieve GreenChill’s silver certification, a store must meet stringent environmental criteria, including the following:
- Use refrigerants that do not damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

- Reduce the size of its refrigerant charge by at least 50 percent from the industry average.
- Reduce annual refrigerant emissions to 15 percent or less of total store capacity.
- Test refrigeration systems for adherence to GreenChill’s leak tightness guidelines.

The Hanover store attained a “silver” certificate by installing a glycol refrigeration system that reduced the refrigerant charge to less than half that of a typical supermarket. Just 35 of the nation’s 35,000 grocery stores have received GreenChill Store Certification awards, according to the EPA.

Hanover, Pa.-based Weis Markets operates 164 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia.