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LEED v4.1

Existing Buildings

Energy and Atmosphere
Fundamental Refrigerant Management

LEED CREDIT

EBOM-v4.1 EAp2: Fundamental Refrigerant Management Required

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Requirements

Do not use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants in heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems unless a third-party audit shows that system replacement or conversion is not economically feasible or unless a phase-out plan for CFC-based refrigerants is in place. Phase-out plans should be scheduled for completion within 10 years. The replacement or conversion of HVAC&R equipment is considered not economically feasible if the simple payback of the replacement or conversion is greater than 10 years. Perform the following economic analysis:

 
 
 
 

If CFC-based refrigerants are maintained in the project, reduce annual leakage to 5% or less using the procedures in the Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608, governing refrigerant management and reporting (or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.), 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 pound [225 grams] of refrigerant), standard refrigerators, small water coolers, and any other cooling equipment that contains less than 0.5 pound (225 grams) of refrigerant are exempt.

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Frequently asked questions

Do small appliances (such as refrigerators and water coolers) that have greater than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant have to be included in the prerequisite calculations?

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We don’t control tenant supplied supplemental cooling equipment for uses like server closets, data centers, etc. Are we required to address the tenant equipment for the prerequisite?

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Are HCFC or HFC refrigerants considered CFC-based refrigerants?

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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?

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The prerequisite 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%. Do we need to submit documentation demonstrating the leakage rates?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

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See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

11/9/2020Updated: 2/3/2021
Form Update
Description of change:
Updated to align with v4.1 November 2020 Addenda
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Do not use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants in heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems unless a third-party audit shows that system replacement or conversion is not economically feasible or unless a phase-out plan for CFC-based refrigerants is in place. Phase-out plans should be scheduled for completion within 10 years. The replacement or conversion of HVAC&R equipment is considered not economically feasible if the simple payback of the replacement or conversion is greater than 10 years. Perform the following economic analysis:

 
 
 
 

If CFC-based refrigerants are maintained in the project, reduce annual leakage to 5% or less using the procedures in the Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608, governing refrigerant management and reporting (or a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.), 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 pound [225 grams] of refrigerant), standard refrigerators, small water coolers, and any other cooling equipment that contains less than 0.5 pound (225 grams) of refrigerant are exempt.

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

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  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

Do small appliances (such as refrigerators and water coolers) that have greater than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant have to be included in the prerequisite calculations?

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.)

We don’t control tenant supplied supplemental cooling equipment for uses like server closets, data centers, etc. Are we required to address the tenant equipment for the prerequisite?

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.)

Are HCFC or HFC refrigerants considered CFC-based refrigerants?

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.)

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 prerequisite 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%. Do we 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.)

11/9/2020Updated: 2/3/2021
Form Update
Description of change:
Updated to align with v4.1 November 2020 Addenda
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No

LEEDuser expert

Pamela Mendez

WSP

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Unsubscribe from discussions about EBOM-v4.1 EAp2