IQ Refrigeration, the design and project management consultancy specialising in sustainable refrigeration, has signed a distribution deal with Italian manufacturer SCM Frigo. The agreement signed at Chillventa on October 16th 2008 sees the Sussex-based firm take on SCM Frigo's indoor and outdoor systems.

The deal gives access to the Italian manufacturer's carbon-dioxide-based refrigeration systems, now in use across mainland Europe. Ben Brown, IQ Refrigeration's sales and marketing director said news of the deal has already created significant interest in the UK. End users are concerned about possible future legislation impacting HFC refrigerants. SCM Frigo’s carbon dioxide systems are based on established technology in use in nearly two hundred installations on the Continent. “It enables end users to effectively future-proof their business against changing legislation,” says Nick Rivers, IQ Refrigeration’s design director.

The Italian-made equipment uses leading brands of components and compressors, such as Bitzer, Copeland and Frascold. Standard control options are based on Carel or Danfoss, with bespoke solutions available to meet end user requirements. The carbon dioxide range covers both sub-critical and transcritical systems, and includes a “Combi” dual-circuit packaged system based on a R404a or R134a primary circuit and sub-critical C02 secondary, mounted together on a single chassis. It can handle both the HT and LT requirements of a supermarket. A major advantage of the Combi is that its reduced HFC charge is confined to the plant room, while only carbon dioxide is piped through the store, resulting in significant safety and environmental benefits.