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A severe heat wave that hit the UK in 2003 led to massive refrigeration failures in a variety of different industries. Hardest hit were supermarkets that found themselves completely unprepared without adequate backup refrigeration or resources to get their failed units back online. One would think we would have learned from the events of 12 years ago. Apparently not. The recent heat wave we just experienced resulted in the same kinds of failures. Whether supermarket coolers or walk-in cold rooms, the country’s equipment just could not withstand the heat.

In the race to develop natural refrigerants that do not harm the atmosphere, the world's developed countries are leaving no potential opportunities off the table. The eventual winner of this race may be the most unlikely of all: China. As a communist country known for its lack of environmental respect and manufacturing quality, China is the last country most would expect to achieve widespread use of natural refrigerants. Yet it looks like they are well on their way.

Same-day chiller hire is one of the many services we offer here at Icecool Trailers. Believe it or not, we get many questions about whether or not same-day hire is a legitimate need in the UK. It actually is. Not everyone who calls us for service is scheduling equipment rental weeks or months in advance. We get plenty of calls from customers who need help right away.

​A recent article published in Greenhouse Management magazine caught our eye because it dealt with upgrading refrigeration equipment to improve efficiency and save energy. The article got us thinking about the possible uses for refrigeration in greenhouse operations, leading us to understand that there is an entirely new market for our temporary refrigeration solutions that we had never even thought of. One of our trailers or walk-in rooms could be the perfect solution for a greenhouse operation looking to expand, temporarily handle excessive overhead, or provide cold storage while existing permanent units are replaced or upgraded.

A caterer in central London has accepted a job to provide meals for 200 guests at an upcoming corporate gathering. The complexity of the job requires some of the food to be prepared at the caterer's location before being transported and stored at the site of the event. The question for the caterer is how to keep that food from spoiling. He is considering two choices: walk-in freezer hire or renting a freezer van. We believe the walk-in freezer is better on multiple levels, including the fact that it is more eco-friendly.

As the permanent and temporary refrigeration industries seek to replace refrigerants that are not environmentally friendly, the options right now are few and far between. However, there is promise with a new line of refrigerants based on carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2-based refrigerants are extremely friendly to the environment while also being reasonably productive compared to more traditional products. Some big-name companies that most of us would probably recognise are already using these refrigerants.