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 ------- 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 ------- 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 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance This page intentionally left blank. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- 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). CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- SECTION 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- SECTION 2 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance 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 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- SECTION 2 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 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- SECTION 3 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- 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 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- SECTION 4 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 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL 1 1 ------- SECTION 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 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance 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 1 3 ------- 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 1 4 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- 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. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL 1 5 ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance This page intentionally left blank. 1 6 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance This page intentionally left blank. CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL 1 7 ------- Refrigeration/AC Equipment Use — Guidance This page intentionally left blank. 1 8 CLIMATE LEADERS GHG INVENTORY PROTOCOL ------- ------- SEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation (6202J) EPA430-K-03-004 October 2004 www.epa.gov/climateleaders ------- |