CLIMATE LEADERS GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY PROTOCOL
CORE MODULE GUIDANCE
Direct HFC and PFC
Emissions from Use of
Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning Equipment
CLIMATED
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
October 2OO4
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The Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol)
developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD). The GHG Protocol consists of a corporate accounting and reporting standard and separate calculation
tools. The Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol is an effort by EPA to enhance the GHG Protocol to fit
more precisely what is needed for Climate Leaders. The Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Protocol consists of the
following components:
• Design Principles Guidance
• Core Modules Guidance
• Optional Modules Guidance
All changes and additions to the GHG Protocol made by Climate Leaders are summarized in the Climate Leaders
Greenhouse Gas Inventory Protocol Design Principles Guidance.
For more information regarding the Climate Leaders Program, visit us on the web at www.epa.gov/climateleaders
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1. Gases Included 2
1.2. Manufacturing vs. Use Phase Emissions 2
2. Methods for Calculating Emissions 3
2.1. Screening Method 3
2.2. Material Balance Method 5
2.3. Simplified Material Balance Method 6
3. Choice of Method 8
4. Choice of Activity Data and Emission Factors 9
4.1. Screening Method 9
4.2. Material Balance Method 9
4.3. Simplified Material Balance Method 11
5. Completeness 12
6. Uncertainty Assessment 13
7. Reporting and Documentation 14
8. Inventory Quality Assurance and
Quality Control (QA/QC) 15
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
SECTION
Introduction
Historically, air conditioning and refrig-
eration equipment utilized various
Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs),
primarily CFCs and HCFCs. However, in accor-
dance with the Clean Air Act Amendments of
1990 (Title VI) and the Montreal Protocol, these
ODSs are being phased out of manufacture and
use in the United States. In the refrigeration
sector, HFCs and, to a lesser extent, PFCs are
used as substitutes for the regulated ODSs.
HFC emissions from the refrigeration and air
conditioning sector result from the manufactur-
ing process, from leakage and service over the
operational life of the equipment, and from
disposal at the end of the useful life of the
equipment. These gases have 100-year global
warming potentials (GWP), which are 140 to
11,700 times that of carbon dioxide (CO^, so
their potential impact on climate change can be
significant (see examples in Table 1). By the
same token, any reductions of these gases can
have a large potential benefit.
This guidance document only addresses
emissions from users of refrigeration/air condi-
tioning equipment including household
refrigeration, domestic air conditioning and heat
pumps, mobile air conditioning, chillers, retail
food refrigeration, cold storage warehouses,
refrigerated transport, industrial process refrig-
eration, and commercial unitary air conditioning
systems. Emissions associated with manufactur-
ing refrigeration/air conditioning equipment are
discussed in the Climate Leaders guidance for
Direct HFC and PFC Emissions From
Manufacturing Refrigeration & Air Conditioning
Equipment.
Table 1: Global Warming Potentials
Common Name Formula Chemical Name GWP*
HFC-23
HFC-32
HFC-125
HFC-134a
HFC-143a
HFC-152a
HFC-236fa
PFC-116
PFC-14
CHF3 trifluoromethane
CH2F2 difluoromethane
C2HF5 pentafluoroethane
C2H2F4 1,1,1,2-tetraf luoroethane
C2H3F3 1,1,1-trif luoroethane
C2H4F2 1,1-dif luoroethane
C3H2F6 1,1,1 ,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane
C2F6 hexafluoroethane ((perfluoroethane))
CF4 tetrafluoromethane ((perfluromethane))
11,700
650
2,800
1,300
3,800
140
6,300
9,200
6,500
*Global Warming Potential from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Second Assessment Report (1995).
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
1.1. Gases Included
Refrigerants include a number of different
compounds including CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, and
PFCs, all of which have global warming poten-
tials. As mentioned, CFCs and HCFCs are being
phased out of production due to their ozone
depleting properties. However, some entities
still use CFCs and HCFCs directly or in refriger-
ant blends.
It is customary to exclude CFCs and HCFCs
from greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories
because they are regulated and are being
phased out by the Clean Air Act and also
because their global warming potentials are
complicated by the fact that they deplete
stratospheric ozone, which is also a green-
house gas. Climate Leaders allows for reporting
of CFCs and HCFCs as memo items on a
Partner's inventory. They are reported as
total release of gases but no global warming
potentials are applied and they do not con-
tribute to a Partner's total C02-equivalent
emissions inventory. Therefore, Partners that
currently use CFCs or HCFCs and switch to
HFCs or PFCs may show an increase in their
overall GHG emissions inventory. Documenting
the use of CFCs and HCFCs accounts for this
increase. Climate Leaders considers shifts in
CFC and HCFC use to HFCs and PFCs when eval-
uating a Partner's reduction goal if HFCs or
PFCs from refrigerant switching are a significant
source of emission reductions.
1.2. Manufacturing
vs. Use Phase
Emissions
This document only applies to GHG emissions
resulting from the use of refrigeration and air
conditioning equipment. HFCs and PFCs may be
released over the entire life of a refrigeration or
air conditioning unit. All units can experience
leaks throughout their operating life and cata-
strophic leaks may also occur. Also, when
equipment is repaired or disposed of, HFCs and
PFCs may be released if proper recovery
processes are not used. Under the Climate
Leaders reporting approach, Partners that use
refrigeration and air conditioning equipment
are only responsible for emissions that result at
their own facilities. These emissions may take
place during the installation, use, or disposal of
equipment. Partners are not responsible for
emissions that occur during the manufacturing
of equipment that arrives pre-charged to their
facility or from the mishandling of refrigerant
sent offsite for third party recycling, reclaima-
tion, or disposal. Guidance for estimating
emissions from the manufacturing of refrigera-
tion/air conditioning equipment is found in the
Climate Leaders guidance for Direct HFC and
PFC Emissions From Manufacturing Refrigeration
& Air Conditioning Equipment.
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
SECTION
Methods for Calculating
Emissions
Most large companies have emissions
from refrigeration/air conditioning
equipment in one form or another,
however, the potential emissions sources and
level of data available may differ greatly. For
instance, a supermarket chain with large refrig-
eration systems may have on-site storage of
refrigerants and track detailed data concerning
refrigerant use while an industrial company
may simply use air conditioning in its office
space and not track detailed data on refrigerant
use. Often companies whose core business
does not include the use of refrigeration/air
conditioning equipment exclude refrigerant
GHG emissions from their corporate GHG inven-
tory as not material. However, the materiality of
a source can only be established after it has
been assessed. This does not necessarily
require a rigorous quantification of all sources,
but at a minimum, an estimate based on avail-
able data should be developed for all sources of
emissions1.
Three methods with varying levels of accuracy
and data collection required are outlined in this
guidance to estimate GHG emissions from the
use of refrigeration/air conditioning equipment.
All Climate Leaders Partners are required to
estimate refrigerant GHG emissions with one
of the following methods to transparently
determine the contribution of refrigeration/air
conditioning emissions to their overall
inventory. Partners are required to include this
estimate in their GHG emissions inventory
submitted to EPA.
Section 2.1 describes a preliminary Screening
Method to estimate emissions based on the
type of refrigeration/air conditioning equipment
used and emission factors. This method
requires the least actual data collection. If
refrigeration/air conditioning equipment
emissions are determined to be significant
when compared to a Partner's other emission
sources (e.g., stationary combustion, mobile
sources, etc.), then one of the other methods
should be applied to better estimate emissions.
Section 2.2 describes a Material Balance
Method of estimating HFC and PFC emissions
from refrigeration/air conditioning equipment
use. This method requires available data on the
total inventory of refrigerants at the beginning
and end of the reporting period, purchases
during the reporting period, and changes in
total nameplate capacity.
Section 2.3 describes a Simplified Material
Balance Method that is appropriate for entities
that do not maintain and track a stock of refrig-
erants and do not have any changes in their
equipment capacity over the reporting period.
2.1. Screening
Method
Under this approach, a Partner multiplies
the amount of refrigerant in the equipment
by an emission factor for the specific
type of equipment and emission event.
The disadvantage to using this approach is
that emission factors are highly uncertain.
Therefore, this method is proposed as a
screening test only. Consequently, if a
Partner determines that emissions from
refrigeration/air conditioning may be
1 See Chapter 1 of the Climate Leaders Design Principles for more on materiality and significance of emissions sources.
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
significant, it is recommended that one of the
other methods then be used. Estimating emis-
sions with the Screening Method requires the
following steps:
Step 1: Perform an inventory of equipment.
Determine the number and types of
refrigeration/air conditioning equipment
(by equipment category, see Section 4.1)
including the types of refrigerant used and
the refrigerant charge capacity of each
piece of equipment.
Step 2: Determine installation emissions.
Identify any new equipment that was
installed during the reporting period and
was charged on-site. Emissions from equip-
ment that was charged at the manufacturer
are not the responsibility of the reporting
entity for equipment use (see Section 1.2).
For each new piece of equipment, use
Equation 1 to estimate emissions:
Equation 1: Estimating
Emissions from Installation
Emissions from Installation = CN x (k/100)
where:
CN = amount of refrigerant charged into the
new piece of equipment
k = assembly losses in percent of amount
charged
Step 3: Determine operating emissions. This
step estimates losses from equipment leaks
and service losses over the life of the equip-
ment. For all pieces of equipment, use
Equation 2 to estimate emissions:
Equation 2: Estimating
Emissions from Operation
Emissions from Operation = C x (x/100) x T
where:
C = charge capacity of the piece of equip-
ment
x = annual leak rate in percent of capacity
T = time in years used during the
reporting period (e.g., 0.5 if used only
during half the reporting period and
then disposed)
Step 4: Determine disposal emissions. Identify
any pieces of equipment that were disposed
of during the reporting period. For each
piece of disposed equipment, use Equation
3 to estimate emissions:
Equation 3: Estimating
Emissions from Disposal
Emissions from Disposal =
CD x (y/100) x (1 - z/100)
where:
CD = charge capacity of the piece of equip-
ment being disposed of
y = percent of the capacity remaining at
disposal
z = percent of refrigerant recovered
Step 5: Calculate total emissions. Add the
emissions from each piece of equipment
including each type of emission from instal-
lation, operation, and disposal to get total
emissions. Calculate separate totals for
each type of refrigerant used.
Section 4.1 provides default emission factors
and describes the different categories of equip-
ment for which there are default factors.
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SECTION
2.2. Material Balance
Method
The Material Balance Method tracks emissions
of HFCs and PFCs from refrigeration/air condi-
tioning equipment use through a mass balance
analysis. Releases of HFCs and PFCs can be
calculated based on the inventory (storage not
equipment) of refrigerants, purchases, sales,
and changes in total capacity of equipment
during the emissions reporting period. The
inventory should be tracked at the facility level
by type of refrigerant. Equation 4 shows the
basic principles involved in this approach.
Equation 4: Material Balance
of Refrigerant
IB + P + CB = IE + S + CE + Emissions
where:
IB = refrigerant in inventory (storage not
equipment) at the beginning of report-
ing period
P = refrigerant purchased during the
reporting period
CB = total capacity of refrigerants in equip-
ment at the beginning of the reporting
period
IE = refrigerant in inventory (storage not
equipment) at the end of reporting
period
S = refrigerant sold or otherwise disposed
of during the reporting period
CE = total capacity of refrigerants in equip-
ment at the end of the reporting period
Equation 4 can be rewritten to more easily
calculate emissions as shown in Equation 5.
Equation 5: Estimating
Refrigerant Emissions with
the Material Balance Method
Emissions = IB - IE + P - S + CB - CE
Equation 5 should be applied to each type of
refrigerant used. Calculating emissions with
the Material Balance Method requires the
following steps for each type of refrigerant:
Step 1: Calculate the change in inventory.
Subtract the inventory at the end of the
reporting period from the inventory at the
beginning of the reporting period to calcu-
late the change in inventory. The inventory
of refrigerants is defined as the total refrig-
erant stored on site in cylinders or other
storage. This does not include refrigerants
contained within equipment.
Step 2: Determine purchases and other acqui-
sitions. Purchases and other acquisitions
may include refrigerant purchased from
producers/distributors, refrigerant provided
by manufactures with or inside equipment,
refrigerant added to equipment by contrac-
tors or other service personnel (but not if
that refrigerant is from Partner's inventory),
and refrigerant returned after off-site
recycling or reclamation.
Step 3: Determine sales/disbursements.
Sales/disbursements may include sales of
refrigerant in containers or left in equip-
ment that is sold, refrigerant returned to
refrigerant suppliers, and refrigerant sent
off-site for recycling, reclamation, or
destruction.
Step 4: Calculate the change in capacity. The
change in capacity is the net change to the
total equipment volume for a given refriger-
ant during the reporting period. Note that
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
"total capacity" refers to the full and proper
charge of the equipment rather than the
actual charge, which may reflect leakage.
This term accounts for the fact that if new
equipment is purchased, the refrigerant that
is used to charge that new equipment
should not be reflected in a Partner's inven-
tory. Total capacity also accounts for
refrigerant that has leaked from equipment
over its lifetime, or the difference between
the full charge and the amount recovered
from retired equipment. If the beginning and
ending total capacity values are not known,
this factor can be calculated based on
known changes in equipment. The total full
charge of new equipment (including equip-
ment retrofitted to use the refrigerant in
question) minus the full charge of equip-
ment that is retired or sold (including full
charge of refrigerant in question from
equipment that is retrofit to use a different
refrigerant) also provides the change in
total capacity.
Step 5: Calculate emissions. Once the previous
four steps have been completed, GHG emis-
sions may be quantified using Equation 5.
As mentioned, this approach should be done
for each type of refrigerant and refrigerant
blend used. Section 4.2 describes in more
detail the type of data that is used in determin-
ing emissions.
2.3. Simplified
Material Balance
Method
The Simplified Material Balance Method is a
simplified version of the Material Balance
Method described above. In the simplified
method there are less flows of refrigerant to
consider. This method requires information on
the quantity of refrigerant used to fill any new
equipment installed during the reporting peri-
od, the quantity of refrigerant used to service
equipment and the quantity of refrigerant
recovered from any equipment retired during
the reporting period. It also requires informa-
tion on the total full capacity of installed and
retired equipment. This method can be summa-
rized by Equation 6.
Equation 6: Estimating
Refrigerant Emissions with
the Simplified Material
Balance Method
Emissions = PN - CN + Ps + CD - RD
where:
PN = purchases of refrigerant used to charge
new equipment (omitted if the equip-
ment has been pre-charged by the
manufacturer)
CN = total full capacity of the new equip-
ment (omitted if the equipment has
been pre-charged by the manufacturer)
Ps = quantity of refrigerant used to service
equipment
CD = total full capacity of retiring equipment
RD = refrigerant recovered from retiring
equipment
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SECTION
The above equations should be applied to each
type of refrigerant used. Calculating emissions
with the Simplified Material Balance Method
requires the following steps for each type of
refrigerant:
Step 1: Calculate installation emissions. This
step is only necessary if the reporting entity
installed any new equipment during the
reporting period that was not pre-charged
by the equipment supplier. Emissions are
calculated by taking the difference between
the amount of refrigerant used to charge the
equipment and the total capacity of the
equipment. The difference is assumed to be
released to the environment.
Step 2: Determine equipment servicing emis-
sions. Equipment servicing emissions result
from the refrigerant that is used to service
operating equipment. It is assumed that the
servicing refrigerant is replacing the same
amount of refrigerant that was lost to the
environment.
Step 3: Calculate disposal emissions. This step
is only necessary if the Partner disposed of
equipment during the reporting period.
Emissions are calculated by taking the dif-
ference between the total capacity of the
equipment disposed and the amount of
refrigerant recovered. The difference is
assumed to be released to the environment.
Step 4: Calculate emissions. Emissions are
calculated by summing the results of the
first three steps.
This approach is used for each type of refriger-
ant and refrigerant blend, Section 4.3 describes
in more detail the type of data that is used in
determining emissions.
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
Choice of Method
The Detailed Material Balance Method
is recommended for Partners who
maintain their own refrigeration/air
conditioning equipment. This method requires
data from refrigerant inventories, purchase and
service records, and the full and proper
charges of equipment. It includes emissions
from equipment operation, servicing, and dis-
posal.
The Simplified Material Balance Method is rec-
ommended for Partners who have contractors
service their refrigeration/air conditioning
equipment. This method tracks emissions from
equipment operation, servicing, and disposal.
The method requires data on the quantity of
refrigerant used to fill new equipment during
installation, the quantity of refrigerant used to
service equipment, the quantity of refrigerant
recovered from retiring equipment, and the
full and proper charges of new and retiring
equipment. If notified in advance of the need
for this information, the contractor should be
able to provide it.
It is recommended that the Screening Method
be used only as a screening tool because the
emissions factors used in the approach are
highly uncertain. Emission factors vary
between individual pieces of equipment and
over time. Even if the amount of refrigerant
added to a piece of equipment has been
tracked carefully, permitting the previous leak
rate of that equipment to be established, that
leak rate can change after a leak is repaired or
as the equipment ages.
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
SECTION 4
Choice of Activity Data and
Emission Factors
Required data for all emission estima-
tion methods can come from inventory
records, purchase records, repair
reports, service records, and disposal records.
Although refrigerant mixtures are used in many
different applications, care should be taken
to account for either the mixtures (such as R-
507A) or the individual HFCs (such as HFC-143
and HFC-125). It is recommended to track
usage in the same manner as records are main-
tained, generally on a refrigerant mixture basis,
unless mixing of refrigerants is an activity
performed by the Partner.
4.1. Screening
Method
The Screening Method requires Partners to
determine the following information:
• Type of Equipment
• Number of Units
• Refrigerant Used
• Total Refrigerant Charge for the Equipment
(Ib.)
• Assembly Emission Factor (%)
• Annual Leakage Rate (%)
• Percent of Capacity Remaining at Disposal (%)
• Recovery (%)
The Screening Method is based on the Tier 2
approach from the IPCC Good Practice
Guidance. The IPCC guidance also includes a
table of emission factors for the different phas-
es of refrigeration/air condition equipment's
life by equipment type. The IPCC table
provides ranges of values for the different
emission factors. However, since this method
is intended as a screening approach under
Climate Leaders it is recommended that the
worst case scenario of the ranges be used.
For emission factors use a high range of factors
and for recovery percents use a low range of
the values provided by IPCC. These values are
provided in Table 2.
The ranges in capacity are provided for refer-
ence. Partners should use the actual capacity
of their equipment. The IPCC good practice
guidance does not provide estimates for the
percent of capacity remaining at disposal (with
the exception of mobile air conditioning units),
therefore, a conservative factor of 100% should
be used.
4.2. Material Balance
Method
The recommended approach for refrigeration/
air conditioning equipment users who maintain
their own equipment is to estimate emissions
based on the Material Balance Method. This
method requires data that should be available
from purchase and service records. The
Material Balance Method requires Partners to
collect the following data:
• Refrigerant inventory (in storage, not
equipment) at beginning of year
• Refrigerant inventory (in storage, not
equipment) at end of year
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
Table 2: Default Emission Factors for Refrigeration/
Air Conditioning Equipment
Type
of
Equipment
Domestic Refrigeration
Stand-alone Commercial
Capacity
(kg)
0.05-0.5
0.2-6
Installation
Emission
Factor
k
(% of capacity) (
1
3
Operating
Emissions
X
% of capacity/yr.)
0.5
10
Refrigerant
Remaining at
Disposal
y
(% of capacity) (
100
100
Recovery
Efficiency
z
% of remaining)
70
70
Applications
Medium & Large 50-2,000 3
Commercial Refrigeration
Transport Refrigeration 3-8 1
Industrial Refrigeration 10-10,000 3
including Food Processing
and Cold Storage
Chillers 10-2,000 1
Residential and Commercial 0.5-100 1
A/C including Heat Pumps
Mobile Air Conditioning 0.8-cars 0.5
1.2-light trucks
30
50
25
15
5
20
100
100
100
100
100
40
80
70
80
80
70
Refrigerant purchased from producers or
distributors in bulk
Refrigerant provided by manufacturers with
or inside of equipment
Refrigerant added to equipment by
contractors
Refrigerant returned after off-site recycling
or reclamation
Sales of bulk refrigerant to other entities
Refrigerant left in equipment that is sold to
other entities
Refrigerant returned to suppliers
Refrigerant sent off-site for recycling or
reclamation
Refrigerant sent off-site for destruction
Refrigerant capacity at beginning of year
(in equipment, not storage)
Refrigerant capacity at end of year
(in equipment, not storage)
i o
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SECTION 4
If beginning and ending capacity values are not
known then the following information can be
used:
• Total full capacity of new equipment using
this refrigerant
• Total full capacity of equipment that is
retrofitted to use this refrigerant
• Total full capacity of retiring or sold equip-
ment that used this refrigerant
• Total full capacity of equipment that is
retrofitted away from this refrigerant to a
different refrigerant
Note: "Total full capacity" refers to the full and proper capacity
of the equipment rather than to the actual charge, which may
reflect leakage.
4.3. Simplified
Material Balance
Method
The Simplified Material Balance Method is the
recommended approach for equipment users
who have contractors service their equipment.
If notified in advance of the need for this infor-
mation, the contractor should be able to
provide it. This method requires Partners to
collect the following data:
• Refrigerant used to fill new equipment
• Refrigerant used to fill equipment retrofit-
ted to use this refrigerant
• Total full capacity of new equipment using
this refrigerant
• Total full capacity of equipment that is
retrofitted to use this refrigerant
• Refrigerant used to service equipment
• Total full capacity of retiring equipment
• Total full capacity of equipment that is
retrofitted away from this refrigerant to a
different refrigerant
• Refrigerant recovered from retiring
equipment
• Refrigerant recovered from equipment that
is retrofitted away from this refrigerant to a
different refrigerant
Note: "Total full capacity" refers to the full and proper capacity
of the equipment rather than to the actual charge, which may
reflect leakage.
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
Completeness
In order for a Partner's GHG corporate
inventory to be complete it must include all
emission sources within the company's cho-
sen inventory boundaries. See Chapter 3 of the
Climate Leaders Design Principles for detailed
guidance on setting organizational boundaries
and Chapter 4 of the Climate Leaders Design
Principles for detailed guidance on setting oper-
ational boundaries of the corporate inventory.
On an organizational level the inventory should
include emissions from all applicable facilities
or fleets of vehicles. Completeness of corporate
wide emissions can be checked by comparing
the list of sources included in the GHG emis-
sions inventory with those included in other
emission's inventories/environmental reporting,
financial reporting, etc.
At the operational level, a Partner should
include all GHG emissions from the sources
included in their corporate inventory. Possible
GHG emission sources are stationary fuel com-
bustion, combustion of fuels in mobile sources,
purchases of electricity, HFC emissions from air
conditioning equipment and process or fugitive
related emissions. Partners should refer to this
guidance document for calculating HFC emis-
sions from air conditioning or refrigeration
equipment use and to the Climate Leaders Core
Guidance documents for calculating emissions
from other sources.
When calculating HFC emissions from air condi-
tioning or refrigeration equipment use Partners
should include all applicable sources of refrig-
erant emissions. If a third party is used for any
component of refrigerant tracking, the third
party should provide any necessary informa-
tion. For the Screening Method, all pieces of
equipment of all different types need to be
accounted for. For the Mass Balance Methods,
all activities and different types of refrigerants
or mixtures should be tracked.
As described in Chapter 1 of the Climate
Leaders Design Principles, there is no materiality
threshold set for reporting emissions. The
materiality of a source can only be established
after it has been assessed. This does not neces-
sarily require a rigorous quantification of all
sources, but at a minimum, an estimate based
on available data should be developed for all
sources.
The inventory should also accurately reflect
the timeframe of the report. In the case of
Climate Leaders, the emissions inventory is
reported annually and should represent a full
year of emissions data.
1 2
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SECTION
Uncertainty Assessment
There is uncertainty associated with all
methods of calculating GHG emissions.
As outlined in Chapter 7 of the Climate
Leaders Design Principles, Climate Leaders does
not recommend Partners quantify uncertainty
as +/- % of emissions estimates or in terms of
data quality indicators. The effort spent to
perform such analysis is better spent pursuing
high quality inventory data.
It is recommended that Partners attempt to
identify the areas of uncertainty in their emis-
sions estimates and make an attempt to use
the most accurate data possible. As men-
tioned, the emission factor approach to
estimating emissions is highly uncertain.
Factors vary between individual pieces of
equipment and over time. Even if the amount
of refrigerant added to a particular piece of
equipment has been tracked carefully, permit-
ting the previous leak rate of that equipment to
be established, that leak rate can change after
the leak is repaired or as the equipment ages.
The major uncertainty introduced in the mate-
rial balance approaches occurs with recently
installed equipment. Equipment can leak for
two or more years before needing a recharge,
so emissions over this period are not detected
until after they occur. Despite this minor draw-
back, the material balance approaches provide
a highly accurate estimate of emissions from
this sector.
CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL
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SECTION
Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
Reporting and Documentation
p
artners are required to complete the These documentation sources should be col-
Climate Leaders Reporting Requirements lected to ensure the accuracy and transparency
and report annual corporate level emis- of the related emissions data, and should also
sions. In order to ensure that estimates are
transparent and verifiable, the documentation
sources listed in Table 3 should be maintained.
be reported in the Partner's Inventory
Management Plan (IMP).
Data
Table 3: Documentation Sources
Documentation Source
Inventory at Beginning and End of Year
Purchases
Nameplate Capacity of Equipment
Amounts Charged to Equipment
Amounts Recovered from Equipment
Stock Inventory documentation
Purchase receipts; delivery receipts; contract
purchase or firm purchase records
Delivery receipts of equipment; records of physical
inspection of nameplates; shipping or disposal
records of equipment
Repair records; repair invoices; daily reports
Repair records; repair invoices; daily reports;
disposal records
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CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL
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Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance
SECTION 8
Inventory Quality Assurance and
Quality Control (QA/QC)
Chapter 7 of the Climate Leader Design
Principles provides general guidelines
for implementing a QA/QC process for
all emission estimates. For the use of refrigera-
tion and AC equipment the following items
must be addressed:
• Care should be taken that releases are not
double-counted (e.g., from reporting both
refrigerant blend and individual blend com-
ponent use).
Verify that your inventory is complete.
Because the GWPs of HFCs and PFCs are so
large, failure to account for even relatively
small releases of HFCs and PFCs can make a
big difference when the releases are con-
verted to a C02-equivalent basis. Also,
tracking HFC and PFC separately is impor-
tant, because of the differing GWPs.
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SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Air and Radiation (6202J)
EPA430-K-03-004
October 2004
www.epa.gov/climateleaders
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