Press Release

Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Half-Million Dollars in Support of “Greener” Commercial Refrigeration

For immediate release:
6/29/2023
  • Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Media Contact

Fabienne Alexis, Public Affairs Assistant Director / MassDEP

BOSTON The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that more than $581,000 in Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program funding has been awarded to eight retail food businesses and a food bank in Western Massachusetts. The grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will support the use of climate-friendly refrigerants in commercial refrigeration equipment.

Many commercial refrigeration systems use potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), with global warming potential up to thousands of times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). These harmful refrigerants leak into the atmosphere over time, contributing to climate change.

“To meet our climate goals, we need to help our local organizations and businesses transition to more climate-friendly operations,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “This grant program not only puts us on a path of sustainability, but it also expands the market for new clean technologies. We are proud to continue our nation-leading efforts of providing a cleaner and healthier Massachusetts.”

This grant is the first awarded under MassDEP’s Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program. The funding aims to increase the voluntary adoption of low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants in commercial refrigeration equipment and to install permanent refrigerant leak detection systems on existing equipment using high GWP refrigerants. The awarded funding will cover a range of projects, including technology that will retrofit existing stores to use climate-friendly refrigerants.

“Commercial refrigeration accounts for a high level of emissions in Massachusetts. It is the largest single contributor of a potent greenhouse gas referred to as HFCs,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “Because of the climate potency of these particular compounds, these grants will give taxpayers a tremendous return on investment in terms of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program awardees are: 

  • Fruit Life, Inc. – $200,000 for a new CO2 system at an existing store in Chicopee.
  • Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop, Inc. – $18,179 for a propane retrofit and system expansion at an existing store in Springfield.
  • The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts – $50,000 to switch to a CO2 system in Hadley.
  • Big Y Foods, Inc. – $238,507 for five system retrofits for lower GWP refrigerants and improved leak detection in supermarkets in Northampton, Palmer, Springfield (2), and Wilbraham.
  • ALDI, Inc. – $75,000 for a new CO2 system at a new store in Northampton.

“When CFCs leak into the atmosphere from refrigerators, they have thousands of times the warming potential of CO2,” said State Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “So, these grants are a win-win: strengthening our local food system while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I am grateful to MassDEP for coordinating this grant program and congratulations to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and ALDI, Inc on receiving this funding.”

“It is crucial for environmental justice communities like Chicopee and Springfield to receive support through the Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program,” said State Senator Adam Gomez (D-Springfield). “These MassDEP grants will help mitigate the harmful refrigerant leaks that contribute to climate change by installing permanent refrigerant leak detection systems, preventing issues before they happen.”

“It is great to see this administration taking climate change seriously and working with local small businesses to provide them with funding to update and modernize their systems,” said State Representative Michael Finn (D-West Springfield). “These grants, like the one awarded to Fruit Life in Chicopee, create a positive, local impact.”

“Congratulations to The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. This grant will support not only cleaner energy but also assist in combatting food insecurity,” said State Representative Daniel Carey (D-Easthampton). “Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll administration for recognizing this important need in our community.  We must continue to attack the climate change crisis from all angles, and this is one of the innovative ways we can do that.”

All awarded projects are encouraged to share relevant information about the impact and effectiveness of their new low-GWP systems with the retail food industry, refrigeration trade associations, and other interested groups.

For more information about the MassDEP Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program, please visit the Program’s website. 

MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth; to provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

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Media Contact

  • Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 

    MassDEP's mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth's natural resources - air, water, and land - to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth, provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.​
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