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Keep cool and carry on: insights for a new era of refrigeration
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Friday, 13 March, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Kevin Sultana
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Commercial refrigeration sits at the centre of Australia’s food and hospitality economy. From supermarkets and convenience stores to butchers, wineries, liquor outlets and healthcare facilities, reliable refrigeration is fundamental to maintaining product integrity, by ensuring temperature-sensitive products stay within mandated safety and regulatory limits. When systems operate with consistency, businesses experience fewer disruptions, smoother operations and focus on delivering quality service to their customers.
In the current environment, expectations placed on refrigeration are shifting. Sustainability targets are becoming part of everyday specification discussions. The transition to lower Global Warming Potential refrigerants such as R448A, R452A and R513A is well underway. At the same time, contractors are navigating tighter timelines, particularly in refurbishment and replacement projects where reliable, future compliant refrigeration solutions are critical to keeping businesses operating smoothly.
In Australia, high ambient temperatures and humidity in summer days, alongside wide variations between metro and regional climates, place extra demands on refrigeration systems. Coastal environments, for example, create corrosion exposure that must be factored into design.
In food retail and processing, the ability to maintain strict temperature controls for food is key to maintaining consumer confidence. Products can be affected by temperature fluctuations as small as 2°C, so for businesses operating under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) programs, consistent temperature monitoring and logging at set intervals is a critical requirement. These factors shape the long-term performance and reliability of evaporators and condensing units, influencing how engineers and contractors specify equipment across different sites and regions.
Remaining compliant requires vigilance. Refrigeration contractors work within a series of constraints: equipment selection should be as accurate as possible, while diligent commissioning and regular maintenance is required. In replacement scenarios, flexibility is the key to creating smoother processes. Thoughtful design features which simplify access and maintenance underpin long-term durability - benefits that may not stand out on a specification sheet but are immediately evident in everyday operation.
Sustainability is also often the focus when it comes to refrigerant selection. Especially with Australia’s Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant phase-down, reducing imports by 20% from 2025 to 2026. While this is very important, there are other factors that need consideration.
System integration and ease of commissioning influence overall efficiency and environmental performance. When components are engineered to work cohesively and validated through rigorous testing, the result is steadier operation, lower lifecycle emissions and stronger confidence in meeting regulatory benchmarks.
There is also growing recognition in the Australian market of the value of holistic systems.Considering condensing units and evaporators as a turnkey solution - where vendors are able to select compatible indoor and outdoor equipment together to best suit the needs and size of their coolroom - makes technical alignment easier for consultants and contractors. Given this broader shift, the introduction of solutions such as the Desiccant Enhanced Evaporative (DEVap) evaporator range reflects an emphasis on equipment shaped by Australian operating environments and installer feedback. It has been created to address how equipment is actually used across various applications, including metro supermarkets, regional food processors and hospitality venues.
As the market continues to evolve, thoughtful designs and local insight will be key to delivering dependable performance for Australian businesses over the long term.
(The author is refrigeration sales manager at Daikin Australia)
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