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855773667-LEED-v5-O-M-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition-1 - Page 135

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  • Refrigerant leakage inspection and recharge : Perform a visual inspection for refrigerant leaks and recharge equipment with leaks detected during inspection.

    • Refrigerant leakage tracking : For the 12-month reporting period, track and report, by refrigerant type and weight, the project’s refrigerant recharge or total procurement of refrigerants, and report the total GWP of the leaked refrigerants. For initial certifications, implement refrigerant tracking for no less than the last three months of the 12-month reporting period and report all recharge occurring during refrigerant leakage inspection and recharge.
REQUIREMENTS EXPLAINED

The prerequisite requires projects to create a refrigerant policy, aimed at tracking all refrigerants within the project boundary and managing leakage from those systems. The prerequisite also requires teams to conduct a full refrigerant inventory and track the performance of each system. Through visual inspections and tracking of refrigerant recharge, teams can effectively mitigate environmental and safety risks associated with exposing occupants to hazard gases.

Refrigerant Policy

All projects are required to implement a refrigerant leakage management policy to avoid ozone depletion for any chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in older equipment, and to limit global warming potential from other refrigerants. The policy must address removal of refrigerant-containing equipment and refrigerant leakage management.

REMOVAL OF REFRIGERANT-CONTAINING EQUIPMENT

At equipment end-of-life, the policy must require proper removal or disposal of refrigerants, consistent with standards for the project location. Examples include U.S. EPA regulations ( 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F ) [69] or European Union F-gas regulations, which both require refrigerant recovery and proper disposal:

  • 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.

69 National Archives and Records Administration, “Code of Federal Regulations,” n.d., https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapterI/subchapter-C/part-82/subpart-F.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Operations and Maintenance, April 2025 Launch Edition 125

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