The economics of refrigerant management are immune to shifting political winds. Even with slashed regulations and headcounts, the operating costs for air conditioning and refrigeration systems continue to represent a significant chunk of facility owners’ or operators’ budgets. 

Refrigerants from unchecked leaking systems can have a negative impact on operating budgets. Repairing leaks makes good economic sense, even if today’s regulations turn a blind eye to leakage. 

Refrigerant Management = Cost Control: 

• Early leak detection and repair means less emissions, less refrigerant usage, less cost.
• Refrigerants with high-GWP are being phased-out with supply cuts increasing cost per pound. 
• Energy costs go up for leaking systems – 5% of the charge leaked out is 5% more energy cost. 
• Repair costs go up because leaking systems and components fail more frequently.
• Labor costs go up because of frequent system repairs.
• Leaks result in more downtime, spoilage, quality control, reliability. 
• Indoor Air Quality – leaking systems do not dehumidify occupied spaces.
• Leaking systems don’t last as long, early replacement hits capital budgets. 

Refrigerant Management and Information Management: 

Facility owners and managers need accurate data and real-time information from the field, which makes refrigerant management an economic, and operational, necessity. The types of information required for effective refrigerant management are varied and complex. For example: 

• Information and alerts on leakage from individual systems,  
• Tracking and trending usage of individual refrigerant types or GWPs,  
• Refrigerant inventories – disposed, reclaimed and/or returned.  

These, and more components, must operate together as part of an integrated, cloud-based information management system that all stakeholders can leverage to optimize refrigerant inventories and appliances. This type of information management system helps minimize a facility’s cost of operations in many ways.