Refrigerant Phase Out Feasibility

The latest district energy system guidelines provide the details of compliance with EAp3 Prerequisite. These are copied below, and available at http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=7671 "All applicable upstream systems 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 substantial completion of the LEED project. 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. An alternative compliance path for buildings connected to a central chilled water system requires a third party audit showing that system replacement or conversion is not economically feasible. The replacement of a chiller(s) will be considered to be 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 total cost avoidance for energy (consumption and demand charges) that results from the replacement and any difference in maintenance costs including make-up refrigerants. If CFC-based refrigerants are maintained in the central system, reduce annual leakage to 5% or less using EPA Clean Air Act, Title VI, Rule 608 procedures 16 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."

Audit maybe a standard walk-through. You can use ASHRAE level II as a process, limited for the chiller. The audit needs to result to answer the questions- how old is the chiller, how much energy it will save if replaced, refrigerants used, leakage rates and supporting documentation to go with it.