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Extracted Content

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.

REFRIGERANT LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT

The policy must stipulate compliance with the current refrigerant leakage management requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Section 608, the European Union F-Gas regulation, [70] or relevant national or local requirements. These requirements prohibit venting of refrigerants and include:

  • Procedures to limit refrigerant loss when servicing or repairing refrigerant-using equipment

  • Leak testing for new refrigerant system installations

  • Leakage monitoring for larger HVAC and refrigeration equipment, and reporting and repairing large leaks

  • Safe disposal of refrigerants

NO REFRIGERANTS

If the project does not have refrigerant-using equipment, the refrigerant policy must address potential future equipment installations.

Refrigerant Performance

For all refrigerant-using equipment under the control of the property owner or management, teams are required to develop a refrigerant inventory, perform a leakage inspection, recharge equipment that is undercharged due to leakage, and track refrigerant leakage. Projects with no refrigerant-using equipment under the control of the property owner or management have no obligations under this section.

Additional considerations If pursuing EAc3: Enhanced Refrigerant Management Performance, inventory the equipment under tenant control as well as the equipment under owner and/or facilities manager control.

70 European Union, “EUR-Lex,” n.d., https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/573/oj.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Operations and Maintenance, April 2025 Launch Edition 126