Refrigerant Compliance

Calculating Carbon Emissions from Refrigerants to Stay in Compliance

Under federal and state environmental laws, commercial facilities with refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) systems or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are required to report carbon emissions in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases. Calculating carbon emissions involves monitoring, collecting data and performing in-depth reporting of CO2 sources. Having commercial facilities manage carbon emissions is one way to stabilize global warming.

Because of the high levels of greenhouse gases associated with refrigerant systems, the EPA is taking action to track their usage. The Climate Registry Protocol requires calculating carbon emissions on a regular basis. And since this is a global problem, the Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol were established to handle international compliance for reducing the harmful effects that refrigerant gas has on the environment.

Refrigerant gas is a major source of carbon emissions. That’s because commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) systems or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC-R) systems contain hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) which release carbon, chlorine, fluorine and hydrogen into the air during normal operation. These gases have been identified as ozone depleting substances. As a result, calculating carbon emissions and periodic reports to the government are necessary to get a handle on the problem. Companies who do not submit to the required regulations for tracking and calculating carbon emissions face steep fines.

Refrigerant Compliance Includes Calculating Carbon Emissions

Calculating carbon emissions is detailed in protocols released by the EPA, ISO, World Resource Institute, and The Climate Registry. The regulations explain how to collect, organize, calculate and report carbon emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) systems or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The mandatory reporting is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

Because just about every company releases some amount of carbon, calculating carbon emissions is a complex process. First, the different types of emissions must be identified and collected across the entire company. Then how much of each gas is released into the environment, or the global warming potential (GWP), must be calculated using a specified formula. Finally, tracking methods must be established for use on a daily basis.

There are refrigerant management programs to help with calculating carbon emissions. Because there are so many components involved in monitoring, gathering and recording carbon emissions data, these programs streamline the process electronically. It is less tedious than doing it manually and much more accurate.

One comprehensive refrigerant management program that also features a Refrigerant Tracker and a Carbon Calculator is offered by Verisae, Inc. Calculating carbon emissions down to the individual asset level is challenging for facility personnel, but with a Refrigerant Tracker application and a Carbon Calculator, the task becomes simpler because it tracks and reports refrigerant gas usage for all AC/HVAC systems operated by a company.

The purpose of calculating carbon emissions is to enable the EPA and other environmental agencies to identify the major sources of greenhouse gases and track how much of these harmful gases are being released into the air. With this information, measures can be developed to reduce the amount of carbon emissions so that air quality can improve.

For industrial, commercial, and even small business facilities containing refrigeration systems, refrigerant gas management programs are available to help with calculating carbon emissions for all HVAC-R systems. Software provided by Verisae tracks carbon dioxide (CO2) gas emissions across all sites so companies can manage their carbon emissions and work towards reducing their carbon footprint.

About Verisae

Verisae helps measure, manage and reduce equipment and energy costs including the related business and environmental impacts of carbon emissions. The Sustainability Resource Planning (“SRP”) software platform improves operational efficiency, protects brand integrity and helps ensure regulatory compliance for distributed enterprises across many industries. Verisae delivers a broad range of sustainability solutions to dozens of clients globally with thousands of daily users including an extended network of third-party suppliers. Verisae’s integrated sustainability platform actively tracks millions of assets across thousands of sites worldwide.

RELATED PAGES

Read Recommendations from Sustainability Experts
How to Reduce Costs & Improve Efficiencies
Watch Our 3 Minute Sustainability Overview (video)