The Hidden E-Strategy: Managing Refrigerants for Efficiency and the Economy: Preprint

Organizations are realizing the benefit of understanding their refrigerants and the impacts that they can have on their operations and finances. Refrigerants can be found in nearly every building, in air conditioning systems, refrigeration equipment, water coolers, ice makers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, fleet vehicles, and more. Refrigerant leakage results in less efficient equipment; refrigerant replacement can be expensive; and owners can have health concerns (such as exposure to chemicals and suffocation risks) resulting from refrigerant leakage. Since refrigerants are ubiquitous in buildings and there is little precedence for their tracking, refrigerant tracking and management can help businesses be more cost effective and protect their assets. Strategies that support a refrigerant management plan can help organizations track refrigerants and manage leaks to minimize cost and risk. To improve the use and management of refrigerants, we brought together industry stakeholders to discuss their knowledge level and management needs for refrigerants. The experiences of commercial building owners with refrigerant management varies. To understand these differing experiences and develop pathways to better manage refrigerants, members of the Better Buildings Initiative Managing Refrigerants working group explored solutions for leak reduction and improving operational efficiency and the associated business cases. Best practices, such as methods to track refrigerant use and integrating refrigerants into operational plans, culminated in developing a refrigerant management action plan. This paper will detail the valuable market feedback received and highlight takeaways for refrigerant management across building portfolios, both large and small.