New BayREN refrigerant replacement program keeping it chill for small businesses

The Bay Area Regional Energy Network’s (BayREN) and San Francisco Environment Department completed their first project as part of BayREN's Refrigerant Replacement Program or BRRR. 

The newly launched incentive program for small businesses in the food and floral sector replaces harmful refrigerants with more environmentally friendly alternatives, fixes refrigerant leaks, and optimizes refrigeration systems — at low or no cost to qualifying small businesses. BRRR prioritizes serving businesses in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

“BRRR is critical to ensuring that small businesses don’t get left behind and can make the transition to safer and cleaner refrigerants,” said Jane Elias, BayREN’s Portfolio Administrator. “The added benefit for small businesses is that upgraded systems usually result in lower utility bills over the long run and decrease emissions.”

The program’s pilot participant, Haight and Cole Liquors, has served residents in the historic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood for more than 25 years. After receiving a free equipment evaluation, the business had their systems optimized with new fan motors, insulation, and leak repair—for free. The refrigerators are now 10 degrees colder than they used to be and are running more efficiently, which means energy savings and reduced utility bills.

“We knew our older refrigeration systems were inefficient, as they often needed repairs," said Frank Zeidan, owner of Haight and Cole Liquors. "But the cost of replacing them was daunting. Without incentives, we would not have been able to make the improvements we needed. We are grateful for the opportunity to upgrade our refrigeration equipment and are excited for other small businesses to benefit like we have.”

The BRRR Program helps to advance the San Francisco’s Climate Action Plan by transitioning businesses to lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. GWP is a measure used to calculate how potent an impact a particular gas will have on climate change. The cooling chemicals commonly used in refrigeration systems are among the worst greenhouse gasses being emitted today, and leaking refrigerants can have a climate impact many thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide emissions. 

Because refrigeration systems are the heart of businesses in the food and floral sector, helping these businesses to transition is an effective strategy to decrease emissions. Beginning this year, California Senate Bill 1206 will prohibit the sale or distribution of high-GWP refrigerants, such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) or bulk blends containing HFCs that exceed a specified GWP limit. Most older refrigeration systems use high-GWP refrigerants, and are more susceptible to leaks.

“As we launch San Francisco Small Business Week, I am thrilled to be able to announce another climate-forward resource program that will help our small businesses succeed,” said Tyrone Jue, Director of SF Environment. “Adding incentives for convenience stores and local markets to help move the City closer to its net zero emissions goal is one of the best ways to ensure treasured neighborhood stores can reap the benefits of climate action without increasing their financial burden.”