Towards a low emissions future

MOST REFRIGERANT LEAKS ARE PREVENTABLE – NEW DETAILED AUSTRALIAN STUDY

Refrigerants Australia has released an important study on refrigerant leak rates across Australia’s refrigeration and air conditioning industry from 2006 to 2022. It represents the first accurate calculation of leak rates across many product categories and shows that most leaks are preventable.

Australia is a leading participant in the Montreal Protocol, which aims to reduce the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which are widely used in the RAC sector. Under this international agreement, Australia has committed to phasing out 85% of its HFC consumption by 2036. The report’s data reconciles refrigerant usage for system charging and maintenance with service demands, and end of life residual refrigerant charges. This data enables accurate calculation of leak rates in many product categories. The findings in this report underscore the importance of a shift in focus from simply reducing refrigerant imports to actively managing refrigerant leaks throughout the lifecycle of RAC equipment. This includes improving technician training, eliminating preventable refrigerant leaks, recovering refrigerants, and destroying or reconditioning them for re-use at the end-of-equipment life. Refrigerant leaks are a critical issue, as they contribute to both greenhouse gas emissions and inefficiencies in system performance that result in greater electricity use.

The report confirms that, while some common causes of leaks have been effectively eliminated over the last decade, the majority of the remaining causes of direct emissions are preventable. These causes are largely due to poor-quality equipment

and materials, use of components that are susceptible to leaking, substandard installation practices, inadequate maintenance, and failure to correctly remove refrigerants when equipment reaches the end of its service life. The report reviews the key sources of emissions from the leakiest category of equipment - commercial refrigeration equipment - caused by failures of containment in condensers, evaporators, joints, valves, connection points and pipework. The findings underscore the importance of continuous monitoring, clear regulatory measures, and skilled maintenance as key to further reducing leak rates across the RAC industry. These changes would minimise the environmental impact of equipment while improving equipment efficiency.