After the first sentence, add, "HCFCs are not part of this prerequisite."
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Zero use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants in heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) base building systems unless a third-party audit (as defined in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition) shows that system replacement or conversion is not economically feasible or it is demonstrated that a phase-out plan for CFC-based refrigerants is in place. Required economic analysis: The replacement of a chiller is considered not economically feasible if the simple payback of the replacement is greater than 10 years. To determine the simple payback, divide the cost of implementing the replacement by the annual cost avoidance for energy that results from the replacement and any difference in maintenance costs. If CFC-based refrigerants are maintained in the building, reduce annual leakage to 5% or less using EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures governing refrigerant management and reporting, and reduce the total leakage over the remaining life of the unit to less than 30% of its refrigerant charge. Small HVAC&R units (defined as containing less than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant), standard refrigerators, small water coolers and any other cooling equipment that contains less than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant are not considered part of the base building system and are exempt.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.What does it cost?
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Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
If a project’s base-building systems do use CFCs, and an economic analysis is required, is it necessary to analyze both the conversion AND replacement of those building systems?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
The LEED Reference Guide states that if CFCs are maintained in the building, the project building must reduce annual leakage to 5% or less, and total leakage over the remaining life to less than 30%. However, the EAp3 credit form does not request information confirming the leakage rates. Does the project need to submit documentation demonstrating the leakage rates?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Do small appliances (such as refrigerators and water coolers) that have greater than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant have to be included in order to achieve EAp3?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Addenda
5/9/2011 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
Replace the definition of "chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)" with "a compound of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine, once commonly used in refrigeration, that depletes the stratospheric ozone layer."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/24/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
Cooling to the project building is provided by a district cooling system. The operator of the district cooling system ("Operator") has five chilled water production facilities spread throughout its system with a total capacity of 36,000 tons. One of the five plants contains three 900-ton CFC-based chillers, only two of which can be run simultaneously due lack of cooling tower capacity. The three CFC chillers are the only chillers installed in this plant. Assuming two of the CFC-based chillers are running they are capable of providing 5% of the Operator\'s maximum chilled water production capacity. All five of the Operator\'s chilled water plants are physically interconnected to a common chilled water distribution system. The project building is located directly across the street from the Operator\'s main production facility which contains 54% of the Operator\'s total chilled water production capacity. The project building is one of 49 buildings connected to the district cooling provider\'s system. The peak cooling demand of the project building is 1200 tons. The peak demand for the Operator\'s entire system is 31,000 tons. Hydraulic modeling completed by the Operator shows that due to the project building\'s location on the district cooling system, chilled water produced by the CFC chillers cannot be delivered to the project building except under a single theoretical operating condition. The single operating condition in which chilled water from the CFC-based chillers could theoretically supply the project building would be if the Operator were operating no other chilled water production equipment other than two of the operable CFC chillers. The Operator has stated that since the minimum cooling load of their system exceeds the 1800-ton capacity of the plant containing the CFC chillers by a factor of two or more it would not be possible for the Operator to operate only the plant containing the CFC-based chillers. In order to meet minimum cooling loads additional chillers would have to be operated at one or more of the Operator\'s other production plants. Operating any number of additional chillers at one or more of the other production facilities will create the hydraulic conditions which prohibit chilled water produced by the CFC chillers from supplying the project building. The Operator believes this provides a quantifiable barrier to the project building being supplied chilled water from the CFC-based chillers that would be identical to what would be created by a physical barrier. We are requesting approval of the prerequisite based on the information presented which would be substantiated by submittal of Operator\'s hydraulic modeling results and model verification documentation. Documentation identifying an annual refrigerant leakage rate from the CFC-based chillers of less than 5% would also be submitted.
Ruling:
The above CIR has been submitted under EAc5: Refrigerant Management, but also seems to make reference to the associated perquisite, EAp3: Refrigerant Management - Ozone. The following guidelines explain the requirements for both the prerequisite and the credit. To meet the prerequisite, the district system must either be CFC free or a commitment to phasing out CFC-based refrigerants must be in place, with a firm timeline of five years from the projects performance period. Prior to phase out, reduce annual leakage of CFC-based refrigerants to 5% or less using EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures governing refrigerant management and reporting. Alternatively, the a third-party audit of the district system can be conducted to show that both conversion and replacement of CFC-using equipment is economically infeasible, as described in the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Reference Guide. For EAc4, credit calculations should be performed based on the equipment installed in the central chilled water system. If chilled-water from a specific plant in the system cannot be isolated and delivered to the project building, compliance with the above requirements must be demonstrated on a system-wide basis. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
11/1/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
Page 218 of the LEED for Existing Buildings Reference Guide, v2009, states that all base building equipment containing greater than 0.5 lbs of refrigerant that is permanently installed must be documented for this credit. The term "base building" is a term of art in the real estate industry that is generally understood to exclude tenant owned equipment. For instance, lease language frequently defines base building responsibilities as items pertaining to the owner or management agent of the building, specifically excluding tenant responsibilities. Base building elements of a new construction build-out are generally defined to mean core and shell elements and would also exclude tenant furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). Tenant owned HVAC equipment would be covered under FF&E. The LEED for Commercial Interiors and LEED for New Construction v2.2 Public Guides provide a definition:"Materials considered fit-out, furniture, and equipment (FF&E) are not considered base building elements"Tenant owned refrigeration equipment, which often consists of small package refrigeration units installed for supplemental cooling in data rooms, are not core and shell elements, are not owned by the building owner and are typically not the maintenance responsibility of the owner or their agent. For this project, there are 3 base building chillers which serve the comfort cooling needs of occupants. Tenants own and maintain more than 100 small package HVAC units for supplemental cooling in data rooms and LAN closets within their suites. Individual tenants, not the building owner or manager, are responsible for the maintenance and refrigerant leakage tracking for these units. The project team is aware of other LEED EB certified projects that have achieved EAc5 by excluding tenant-owned equipment by applying the definition from the NC Public Guide above. Clarification of this issue would be valuable for both individual projects and to ensure consistency across all LEED EB projects. We ask for USGBC guidance on the following points:1. Define "base-building" equipment as it relates to EAp3 and EAc52. Clarify if leakage rates must be established for all 100+ tenant-owned units within the project building, or if only the base building chillers must be analyzed to achieve EAc53. If EAc5 is not being pursued, clarify if tenant owned HVAC units must comply with the requirements of EAp3 as the term "central system" is used on page 146 of the EBOM 2009 Ref. Guide and further confuses these issues.
Ruling:
The requirements of EAp3: Fundamental Refrigerant Management and EAc5: Enhanced Refrigerant Management as they pertain to tenant-owned HVAC equipment for EB:O+M certification are as follows:1. As stated on page 146 and 218 of the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide, 2009, base building systems are those that contain 0.5 pounds of refrigerant or more. Small HVAC&R units, standard refrigerators, small water coolers, and any other cooling equipment that contains less than 0.5 pound of refrigerant are not considered part off the base building system and are exempt from this prerequisite; all other equipment must be included. Note that if it is not possible to gather the necessary tenant data for these credits, or the applicant does not have control over the required element, the project team can exempt up to 10% of the building\'s gross floor area. In other words, HVAC equipment serving such space would be exempt from the requirements of EAp3 and EAc5 if this exemption applies. 2. Refrigerant leakage rates shall be calculated separately for each piece of equipment in the project building containing at least 0.5 pounds of refrigerant; therefore, this applies to all tenant-owned packaged HVAC units and building chillers included for compliance of EAp3 and EAc5. Note that the refrigerant leakage rate for each piece of equipment must be based on actual leakage rates experienced in the project building. If actual leakage rates have not been tracked, EAc5 cannot be earned. Please see page 221 of the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide, 2009 for information on calculating refrigerant leakage rates. Please also note that according to page 215 of the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide, 2009, the minimum refrigerant leakage rate allowable in credit calculations is 0.5%.3. Regardless of whether EAc5 is being pursued, all base building systems, those containing at least 0.5 pounds of refrigerant, shall be included for compliance of EAp3.Applicable internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
There is significant confusion around the requirements for calculating and documenting refrigerant leakage rates for existing equipment. The EPA has published three different formulas, two of which are contained in the reporting rules and one which is in a guidance document about the reporting rules for industrial refrigeration systems. Additionally, the Rating System refers to the “EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures governing refrigerant management and reporting” but those procedures are actually contained in 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F. These rules provide triggers and requirements when annual refrigerant leakage rates exceed a threshold, with the required corrective actions including repair, decommissioning, and retrofit/replacement. Some project teams report that refrigerant pressures are checked on regular intervals but that refrigerant is only added when the loss is significant. Please clarify what methods may be used to calculate refrigerant leakage rates, whether the rates should be calculated for the performance period only or the rate calculated for the most recent refrigerant addition should be used, and what project teams are required to do if the 5% annual and 30% lifetime leakage rates are exceeded.
Ruling:
Leakage Rate Calculation:
The annual refrigerant leakage rate (Lr) must be calculated using a method recognized by the U.S. EPA pursuant to the EPA Clean Air Act Title VI, Rule 608, and must be based on the most recent amount of refrigerant added. The time elapsed is the number of days in between the two most recent refrigerant charges, regardless of the performance period start date and regardless of whether refrigerant is checked on a regular basis (e.g., annually). This applies to both EAc5 and EAp3 for projects with CFC-based refrigerant demonstrating compliance with the maximum annual refrigerant leakage rate (5%).
Refrigerant Impact per Ton:
For recertification projects, the refrigerant impact per ton is based on the most recent refrigerant addition according to Table 1. Credit Compliance Guidance from the Recertification Guidance, April 2013. This means that if the recertification performance period is five years long and refrigerant was added during the first, third and fourth year, the refrigerant leakage rate is based on the refrigerant added during the fourth year and the number of days between the third and fourth year refrigerant additions. The project is required to track refrigerant leakage throughout the entire recertification performance period, but only the most recent refrigerant addition is used in the calculation of refrigerant leakage rate, regardless of whether it is more or less than previous additions.
CFC-based Refrigerant:
For recertification projects with CFC-based refrigerant, the refrigerant leakage rate must be calculated for each refrigerant addition during the performance period to demonstrate whether the maximum annual refrigerant leakage rate (5%) has been continuously met throughout the entire recertification performance period. For both initial certification and recertification projects, if the 5% annual refrigerant leakage rate is exceeded (including catastrophic equipment failure resulting in significant refrigerant leakage) , the project is still eligible for EAp3 as long as the EPA Clean Air Act Title VI, Section 608 guidelines (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/608/608fact.html), as stated below are followed:
1. Owners or operators of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment with refrigerant charges greater than 50 pounds are required to repair leaks within 30 days when those leaks result in the loss of more than a certain percentage of the equipment's refrigerant charge over a year. For the commercial (e.g. grocery stores and warehouses) and industrial process refrigeration sectors, leaks must be repaired within 30 days when the equipment leaks at a rate that would release 35 percent or more of the charge over a year. For all other sectors, including comfort cooling (such as building chillers), leaks must be repaired when the appliance leaks at a rate that would release 15 percent or more of the charge over a year.
2. For LEED purposes, leaks must be repaired within 30 days when the appliance leaks at a rate that would release 5 percent or more of the charge over a year. The equipment is not required to be decommissioned or replaced at this time.
3.The EPA Clean Air Act Title VI, Section 608 guidelines also state that, “This requirement is waived if, within 30 days of discovery, owners develop a one-year retrofit or retirement plan for the leaking equipment. Owners of industrial process refrigeration equipment may qualify for additional time under certain circumstances”.
End of Life Refrigerant Leakage Calculation for Equipment with CFC-based Refrigerant:
The maximum 30% end of life leakage rate shall be calculated based on the total amount of refrigerant lost over the life of the equipment through the end of the performance period. If a project has experienced a catastrophic equipment failure resulting in a refrigerant leakage rate exceeding 30% during the performance period, the project is not eligible for certification unless the project commits to decommissioning or replacing the equipment within one-year from the end of the performance period. This applies to both initial certification and recertification.
International Applicability:
The Montreal Protocol has achieved universal ratification and most project locations should have local requirements with procedures for limiting the atmospheric discharge of refrigerants. Project teams wishing to use local requirements should contact USGBC early in the project to ensure that the alternative standard is acceptable.
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Zero use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants in heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) base building systems unless a third-party audit (as defined in the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Operations & Maintenance, 2009 Edition) shows that system replacement or conversion is not economically feasible or it is demonstrated that a phase-out plan for CFC-based refrigerants is in place. Required economic analysis: The replacement of a chiller is considered not economically feasible if the simple payback of the replacement is greater than 10 years. To determine the simple payback, divide the cost of implementing the replacement by the annual cost avoidance for energy that results from the replacement and any difference in maintenance costs. If CFC-based refrigerants are maintained in the building, reduce annual leakage to 5% or less using EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures governing refrigerant management and reporting, and reduce the total leakage over the remaining life of the unit to less than 30% of its refrigerant charge. Small HVAC&R units (defined as containing less than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant), standard refrigerators, small water coolers and any other cooling equipment that contains less than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant are not considered part of the base building system and are exempt.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.XX%
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If a project’s base-building systems do use CFCs, and an economic analysis is required, is it necessary to analyze both the conversion AND replacement of those building systems?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
The LEED Reference Guide states that if CFCs are maintained in the building, the project building must reduce annual leakage to 5% or less, and total leakage over the remaining life to less than 30%. However, the EAp3 credit form does not request information confirming the leakage rates. Does the project need to submit documentation demonstrating the leakage rates?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Do small appliances (such as refrigerators and water coolers) that have greater than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant have to be included in order to achieve EAp3?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
5/9/2011 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
After the first sentence, add, "HCFCs are not part of this prerequisite."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
10/1/2012 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
Replace the definition of "chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)" with "a compound of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine, once commonly used in refrigeration, that depletes the stratospheric ozone layer."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/24/2008
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
Cooling to the project building is provided by a district cooling system. The operator of the district cooling system ("Operator") has five chilled water production facilities spread throughout its system with a total capacity of 36,000 tons. One of the five plants contains three 900-ton CFC-based chillers, only two of which can be run simultaneously due lack of cooling tower capacity. The three CFC chillers are the only chillers installed in this plant. Assuming two of the CFC-based chillers are running they are capable of providing 5% of the Operator\'s maximum chilled water production capacity. All five of the Operator\'s chilled water plants are physically interconnected to a common chilled water distribution system. The project building is located directly across the street from the Operator\'s main production facility which contains 54% of the Operator\'s total chilled water production capacity. The project building is one of 49 buildings connected to the district cooling provider\'s system. The peak cooling demand of the project building is 1200 tons. The peak demand for the Operator\'s entire system is 31,000 tons. Hydraulic modeling completed by the Operator shows that due to the project building\'s location on the district cooling system, chilled water produced by the CFC chillers cannot be delivered to the project building except under a single theoretical operating condition. The single operating condition in which chilled water from the CFC-based chillers could theoretically supply the project building would be if the Operator were operating no other chilled water production equipment other than two of the operable CFC chillers. The Operator has stated that since the minimum cooling load of their system exceeds the 1800-ton capacity of the plant containing the CFC chillers by a factor of two or more it would not be possible for the Operator to operate only the plant containing the CFC-based chillers. In order to meet minimum cooling loads additional chillers would have to be operated at one or more of the Operator\'s other production plants. Operating any number of additional chillers at one or more of the other production facilities will create the hydraulic conditions which prohibit chilled water produced by the CFC chillers from supplying the project building. The Operator believes this provides a quantifiable barrier to the project building being supplied chilled water from the CFC-based chillers that would be identical to what would be created by a physical barrier. We are requesting approval of the prerequisite based on the information presented which would be substantiated by submittal of Operator\'s hydraulic modeling results and model verification documentation. Documentation identifying an annual refrigerant leakage rate from the CFC-based chillers of less than 5% would also be submitted.
Ruling:
The above CIR has been submitted under EAc5: Refrigerant Management, but also seems to make reference to the associated perquisite, EAp3: Refrigerant Management - Ozone. The following guidelines explain the requirements for both the prerequisite and the credit. To meet the prerequisite, the district system must either be CFC free or a commitment to phasing out CFC-based refrigerants must be in place, with a firm timeline of five years from the projects performance period. Prior to phase out, reduce annual leakage of CFC-based refrigerants to 5% or less using EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures governing refrigerant management and reporting. Alternatively, the a third-party audit of the district system can be conducted to show that both conversion and replacement of CFC-using equipment is economically infeasible, as described in the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Reference Guide. For EAc4, credit calculations should be performed based on the equipment installed in the central chilled water system. If chilled-water from a specific plant in the system cannot be isolated and delivered to the project building, compliance with the above requirements must be demonstrated on a system-wide basis. Applicable Internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
11/1/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
Page 218 of the LEED for Existing Buildings Reference Guide, v2009, states that all base building equipment containing greater than 0.5 lbs of refrigerant that is permanently installed must be documented for this credit. The term "base building" is a term of art in the real estate industry that is generally understood to exclude tenant owned equipment. For instance, lease language frequently defines base building responsibilities as items pertaining to the owner or management agent of the building, specifically excluding tenant responsibilities. Base building elements of a new construction build-out are generally defined to mean core and shell elements and would also exclude tenant furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). Tenant owned HVAC equipment would be covered under FF&E. The LEED for Commercial Interiors and LEED for New Construction v2.2 Public Guides provide a definition:"Materials considered fit-out, furniture, and equipment (FF&E) are not considered base building elements"Tenant owned refrigeration equipment, which often consists of small package refrigeration units installed for supplemental cooling in data rooms, are not core and shell elements, are not owned by the building owner and are typically not the maintenance responsibility of the owner or their agent. For this project, there are 3 base building chillers which serve the comfort cooling needs of occupants. Tenants own and maintain more than 100 small package HVAC units for supplemental cooling in data rooms and LAN closets within their suites. Individual tenants, not the building owner or manager, are responsible for the maintenance and refrigerant leakage tracking for these units. The project team is aware of other LEED EB certified projects that have achieved EAc5 by excluding tenant-owned equipment by applying the definition from the NC Public Guide above. Clarification of this issue would be valuable for both individual projects and to ensure consistency across all LEED EB projects. We ask for USGBC guidance on the following points:1. Define "base-building" equipment as it relates to EAp3 and EAc52. Clarify if leakage rates must be established for all 100+ tenant-owned units within the project building, or if only the base building chillers must be analyzed to achieve EAc53. If EAc5 is not being pursued, clarify if tenant owned HVAC units must comply with the requirements of EAp3 as the term "central system" is used on page 146 of the EBOM 2009 Ref. Guide and further confuses these issues.
Ruling:
The requirements of EAp3: Fundamental Refrigerant Management and EAc5: Enhanced Refrigerant Management as they pertain to tenant-owned HVAC equipment for EB:O+M certification are as follows:1. As stated on page 146 and 218 of the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide, 2009, base building systems are those that contain 0.5 pounds of refrigerant or more. Small HVAC&R units, standard refrigerators, small water coolers, and any other cooling equipment that contains less than 0.5 pound of refrigerant are not considered part off the base building system and are exempt from this prerequisite; all other equipment must be included. Note that if it is not possible to gather the necessary tenant data for these credits, or the applicant does not have control over the required element, the project team can exempt up to 10% of the building\'s gross floor area. In other words, HVAC equipment serving such space would be exempt from the requirements of EAp3 and EAc5 if this exemption applies. 2. Refrigerant leakage rates shall be calculated separately for each piece of equipment in the project building containing at least 0.5 pounds of refrigerant; therefore, this applies to all tenant-owned packaged HVAC units and building chillers included for compliance of EAp3 and EAc5. Note that the refrigerant leakage rate for each piece of equipment must be based on actual leakage rates experienced in the project building. If actual leakage rates have not been tracked, EAc5 cannot be earned. Please see page 221 of the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide, 2009 for information on calculating refrigerant leakage rates. Please also note that according to page 215 of the LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Reference Guide, 2009, the minimum refrigerant leakage rate allowable in credit calculations is 0.5%.3. Regardless of whether EAc5 is being pursued, all base building systems, those containing at least 0.5 pounds of refrigerant, shall be included for compliance of EAp3.Applicable internationally.
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
There is significant confusion around the requirements for calculating and documenting refrigerant leakage rates for existing equipment. The EPA has published three different formulas, two of which are contained in the reporting rules and one which is in a guidance document about the reporting rules for industrial refrigeration systems. Additionally, the Rating System refers to the “EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures governing refrigerant management and reporting” but those procedures are actually contained in 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F. These rules provide triggers and requirements when annual refrigerant leakage rates exceed a threshold, with the required corrective actions including repair, decommissioning, and retrofit/replacement. Some project teams report that refrigerant pressures are checked on regular intervals but that refrigerant is only added when the loss is significant. Please clarify what methods may be used to calculate refrigerant leakage rates, whether the rates should be calculated for the performance period only or the rate calculated for the most recent refrigerant addition should be used, and what project teams are required to do if the 5% annual and 30% lifetime leakage rates are exceeded.
Ruling:
Leakage Rate Calculation:
The annual refrigerant leakage rate (Lr) must be calculated using a method recognized by the U.S. EPA pursuant to the EPA Clean Air Act Title VI, Rule 608, and must be based on the most recent amount of refrigerant added. The time elapsed is the number of days in between the two most recent refrigerant charges, regardless of the performance period start date and regardless of whether refrigerant is checked on a regular basis (e.g., annually). This applies to both EAc5 and EAp3 for projects with CFC-based refrigerant demonstrating compliance with the maximum annual refrigerant leakage rate (5%).
Refrigerant Impact per Ton:
For recertification projects, the refrigerant impact per ton is based on the most recent refrigerant addition according to Table 1. Credit Compliance Guidance from the Recertification Guidance, April 2013. This means that if the recertification performance period is five years long and refrigerant was added during the first, third and fourth year, the refrigerant leakage rate is based on the refrigerant added during the fourth year and the number of days between the third and fourth year refrigerant additions. The project is required to track refrigerant leakage throughout the entire recertification performance period, but only the most recent refrigerant addition is used in the calculation of refrigerant leakage rate, regardless of whether it is more or less than previous additions.
CFC-based Refrigerant:
For recertification projects with CFC-based refrigerant, the refrigerant leakage rate must be calculated for each refrigerant addition during the performance period to demonstrate whether the maximum annual refrigerant leakage rate (5%) has been continuously met throughout the entire recertification performance period. For both initial certification and recertification projects, if the 5% annual refrigerant leakage rate is exceeded (including catastrophic equipment failure resulting in significant refrigerant leakage) , the project is still eligible for EAp3 as long as the EPA Clean Air Act Title VI, Section 608 guidelines (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/608/608fact.html), as stated below are followed:
1. Owners or operators of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment with refrigerant charges greater than 50 pounds are required to repair leaks within 30 days when those leaks result in the loss of more than a certain percentage of the equipment's refrigerant charge over a year. For the commercial (e.g. grocery stores and warehouses) and industrial process refrigeration sectors, leaks must be repaired within 30 days when the equipment leaks at a rate that would release 35 percent or more of the charge over a year. For all other sectors, including comfort cooling (such as building chillers), leaks must be repaired when the appliance leaks at a rate that would release 15 percent or more of the charge over a year.
2. For LEED purposes, leaks must be repaired within 30 days when the appliance leaks at a rate that would release 5 percent or more of the charge over a year. The equipment is not required to be decommissioned or replaced at this time.
3.The EPA Clean Air Act Title VI, Section 608 guidelines also state that, “This requirement is waived if, within 30 days of discovery, owners develop a one-year retrofit or retirement plan for the leaking equipment. Owners of industrial process refrigeration equipment may qualify for additional time under certain circumstances”.
End of Life Refrigerant Leakage Calculation for Equipment with CFC-based Refrigerant:
The maximum 30% end of life leakage rate shall be calculated based on the total amount of refrigerant lost over the life of the equipment through the end of the performance period. If a project has experienced a catastrophic equipment failure resulting in a refrigerant leakage rate exceeding 30% during the performance period, the project is not eligible for certification unless the project commits to decommissioning or replacing the equipment within one-year from the end of the performance period. This applies to both initial certification and recertification.
International Applicability:
The Montreal Protocol has achieved universal ratification and most project locations should have local requirements with procedures for limiting the atmospheric discharge of refrigerants. Project teams wishing to use local requirements should contact USGBC early in the project to ensure that the alternative standard is acceptable.
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
LEEDuser expert
Paul Swierc
CEM, CPMP, BECxP, CxA+BE, EIT, LEED GA
Senior Commissioning Agent
