French supermarket chain Auchan has installed a transcritical CO2 refrigeration system from Italian OEM Epta International in a renovated 12,000m2 (129,167ft2) hypermarket in Budapest, Hungary, incorporating Epta’s FTE (Full Transcritical Efficiency) technology.

The Epta Eco2Large transcritical CO2 pack and FTE system offers an energy saving of 10% compared to a traditional CO2 system, and lowers installation and maintenance costs by up to 20%, Epta said in a website case study.

The installation at the Savoya Park shopping mall, which included 126 of Epta’s remote Costan and Eurocryor display cases, took place while the Auchan store was open, Epta said.

The store includes a 24-hour refrigeration monitoring service that offers “predictive diagnostics and quick interventions for maximum reliability and minimum energy consumption,” said Epta.

The closed Costan cabinets include the GranFit range for self-service the fresh and frozen product area, GranVista Next vertical chilled cabinets for fresh products, Aeria Next semi-vertical cabinets, GranBering vertical chilled cabinets for frozen products, and GranSesia semi-vertical chilled cabinets. 

In addition, in the store’s fresh product area there is a large island comprising Epta’s Eurocryor Summer B​ traditional chilled cabinets to display cured meats and fresh meat. The center of the frozen product area features the Costan Tortuga and Crocodile horizontal chilled cabinets.

Author Ntsako Khosa