The Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association, (PRSM) has released a new white paper that describes how refrigeration systems operate, ways to reduce and potentially avoid unnecessary maintenance costs and the importance of adhering to changing environmental regulations.

“Keeping Your Cool Part 2: Preventive & Routine Maintenance for Retail Refrigeration Systems,” addresses the importance of both preventive and routine maintenance of retail. The paper, available to members, also includes numerous checklists, forms and custom templates for facilities management professionals to develop or improve existing refrigeration system maintenance programs.

“Retail facilities managers need current, useful, accurate information and tools they can use to reduce rising refrigeration costs,” says PRSM CEO Bill Yanek. “PRSM provides retailers valuable resources they can use immediately to develop and implement preventive maintenance programs that will save their companies time and money.”

Typical supermarket refrigeration systems use 1,500 to 1,800 pounds of refrigerant to keep products cold or frozen. One pound of refrigerant wholesale costs $7 to $40, while freezers and refrigerators can cost thousands.

This white paper follows “Keeping Your Cool: An Introduction to Retail Refrigeration Basics – Part 1,” which shares basic refrigeration principles and theories, complexity of refrigeration equipment, regulations and compliance.