855773644-LEED-v5-BD-C-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition - Page 275

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joints or for bubbling from leaks after applying soapy water, audible detection of hissing or bubbling sounds, and/or pressure testing.

Renovation Projects

For major renovations, properly decommission refrigerant-containing equipment that has been removed or disposed of during construction. The U.S. EPA regulations ( 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F ) require refrigerant recovery and proper recycling, reclamation, or destruction of refrigerants classified as ozone-depleting substances. International projects must comply with other regional regulations, like the European Union F-gas regulation.

• Recovery . Extract all refrigerant from the equipment, including refrigerant in refrigerant piping. Store in a leak-free container.

• Disposal options . Recycle, reclaim, or destroy the recovered refrigerant as follows:

o Recycling . Clean the refrigerant and reuse it on-site, in other equipment owned by

the same owner.

o Reclamation . Clean the refrigerant for resale. The refrigerant must meet specific

purity requirements. Reclamation efforts commonly occur in a dedicated processing facility.

o Destruction . Incineration or other technologies break down the refrigerants into less

harmful components that will not contribute to ozone depletion or high GWP.

Core and Shell only For Option 2, address all refrigerant-containing equipment in the Core and Shell scope of work and any existing equipment within the boundary owned or controlled by the project owner and/or facilities manager. The inventory may exclude tenant equipment not installed as part of the Core and Shell scope of work.

DOCUMENTATION

Project types	Options	Path	Documentation
New Construction and Core and Shell	Option 1. No Refrigerants	All	Description of the cooling and heating systems used for the project. Confirmation that no refrigerants are used within the project boundary and how the project meets cooling, heating, and other project loads without refrigerants.
New Construction and Core and Shell	Option 2. Refrigerants	All	Narrative summarizing the evaluation of available alternatives for any refrigerant with a GWP >700. Include a list of the original selected refrigerants as compared to the alternatives considered.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 265