These different categories of refrigerants have different environmental impacts. CFCs have the largest ozone depletion potential (ODP), while HFCs will have an ODP that is essentially zero. CFCs have higher global warming potential (GWP) than HCFCs, but some HFCs have GWP values that are just as high as CFCs. HFCs are also slightly less efficient than CFCs and HCFCs. The dilemma, therefore, is that some refrigerants cause more ozone depletion than others, but the most ozone-friendly refrigerants can have a greater effect on climate change.

Common refrigerants and their applications are as folllows:

Project teams often confuse CFCs and HCFCs. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been completely phased out of new equipment in the U.S. as of 1996, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), their transitional substitutes, are being phased out as of 2010. EAp3: Fundamental Refrigerant Management, addresses only CFC use in base building equipment, whereas this credit deals with all refrigerants, including CFCs and HCFCs. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are another class of refrigerants that are used as more environmentally friendly substitutes for CFCs and HCFCs.

Use the EBOM EAp3/EAc5 Refrigerant Inventory (see Documentation Toolkit) to collect refrigerant data, but make sure to use the official LEED Online credit form to perform the actual calculations and to submit your data for the credit.

Performing the required calculations will give you the value for “Total Refrigerant Impact Per Ton”. Total Refrigerant Impact per Ton must be less than or equal to 100 in order to achieve this credit.

You will also need to collect the following information in order to complete the calculations in the Credit Form. The following variables are used in the LEED Reference Guide and credit form.

N = Quantity of HVAC Equipment Type
Q = Cooling capacity of each equipment unit
Rc = Refrigerant Charge (pounds of refrigerant per ton of cooling capacity)
Lr = Annual leakage rate as a percentage of the equipment's full charge lost over a 12-month period (default value of 2.0%; minimum value of 0.5%).

Equipment that contains less than 0.5 pounds of refrigerant is not considered part of the base building system and is exempt from this prerequisite. Examples include small HVAC units, standard refrigerators and small water coolers. Conversely, any equipment in your building that does use more than 0.5 points of refrigerant must be included in this credit.

If your building uses mechanical or mixed-mode ventilation, collect information on all base building systems that use refrigerants, including manufacturer, model number, installation date, refrigerant type, and amount used in the equipment.

If your building uses natural ventilation with no active cooling system, and therefore no refrigerants, and does not use halons, CFCs or HCFCs in the fire suppression systems, you can earn this credit without performing any additional analysis.

There may be substantial costs associated with converting fire suppression systems to eliminate the use of these chemicals.