FMI 2026: Natural Refrigerant Sales Climb as Manufacturers Report Strong Growth

Manufacturers and suppliers at the 2026 FMI Energy and Store Development conference reported surging North American sales of natural refrigerant equipment, despite the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to delay stricter GWP limits for supermarket refrigeration systems.

At the event, several companies spoke with NaturalRefrigerants.com about sales, services and new product launches for CO₂ (R744), propane (R290) and ammonia (R717) equipment. The FMI Energy and Store Development conference was held September 28‒30 at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida.

“Natural refrigerants are completely exploding in the market,” said Matthew Belford, Director of Refrigeration Sales at Güntner US. “In the last year or two, [the mentality] has shifted from natural refrigerants being the next step to figuring out how to make CO₂ the best it can be and the easiest way to integrate it.”

Güntner manufactures heat exchangers and refrigeration components for commercial and industrial applications. Belford expects CO₂ to account for about 85% of the company’s U.S. sales in 2027.

“Natural refrigerants are completely exploding in the market.”

Matthew Belford, Director of Refrigeration Sales at Güntner.

Potential market impact: In May the EPA revised the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule. It extended the compliance date for supermarket applications to 2032, replacing the original dates of 2026 and 2027. The deadline applies to the GWP limits of 150 or 300, depending on equipment size and charge.

• Instead of using A2Ls to meet the rule’s initial deadline, the delay may be shifting end-user priorities towards natural refrigerant solutions, according to Tommaso Scavone, Senior Sales Manager North America at LU-VE US.
• “For commercial refrigeration, we’ve decided to invest in manufacturing CO₂, with A2Ls on standby for now,” Scavone said. Along with several other manufacturers, he noted an increased uptake of CO₂ refrigeration in both the Northwest and the Southeast regions of the U.S.
• LU-VE US more than tripled its production capacity for CO₂ air coils, condensers, air coolers and gas coolers with a 220,000ft² (20,400m²) expansion of its Texas facility completed at the end of 2025.

Rising CO₂ demand: Robert’s Oxygen, an East Coast supplier of refrigerant-grade compressed gases, continues to see year-over-year growth in R744 sales. Manufacturers and component suppliers also report increasing CO₂ sales and production.

• Robert’s Oxygen Regional Manager Dave Garner noted a 50% increase in R744 refrigerant sales in 2024, followed by another 50% increase in 2025. “Sales are up 75% from last year,” he said at FMI 2026.
• “CO₂ sales in the U.S. are finally taking off,” said Diego Malimpensa, Managing Director West Coast at Carel USA. He indicated that Carel’s sales of controllers and components for CO₂ systems were up 50% in 2026.
• Zero Zone’s Sales Manager Jason Harren said that CO₂ represents 60‒70% of the company’s current refrigeration rack production. The company also has a CO₂ condensing unit for smaller-format applications under development, he added.
• Beyond commercial refrigeration, Alexandra Pawlikowski, National Sales Director at U.S.-based ice flaker manufacturer Howe Corporation, said the company’s sales of 0.5‒2TR (1.8‒7kW) CO₂ ice flakers, which are powered by store CO₂ racks, have risen 10‒15%.
• For commercial HVAC and domestic hot water, Jim Nonnie, President of Temprite, a manufacturer of oil-management components, reported increased uptake of CO₂ heat pumps in North America.

Small and large applications: Zero Zone has sold thousands of its R290 self-contained cabinets in 2026 to retailers operating in rural America, according to Harren. On the other end of the capacity spectrum, Pawlikowski reports that Howe increased its sales of ammonia ice flakers by 50%.

• In 2025 Zero Zone launched its first plug-and-play propane merchandiser. The product includes a top-mounted R290 unit with a swap-out design that “eliminates troubleshooting by specifically trained technicians,” according to Ben Fisher, Director of Inside Sales and Engineering at Zero Zone.
• Howe’s 3–10TR (10.6–35.2kW) ammonia ice flaker produces flake ice for sausage, meat and seafood processing. It helps to control product temperature while adding controlled amounts of water.

“For commercial refrigeration, we’ve decided to invest in manufacturing CO₂, with A2Ls on standby for now.”

Tommaso Scavone, Senior Sales Manager North America at LU-VE US