LEED AP Building Design and Construction (BD+C) Practice Exam

Which refrigerant management option enables calculation of refrigeration impact?

1. Monitoring refrigerant leaks

2. Using no refrigerants

3. Estimating refrigerant usage

4. Recycling refrigerants

The correct answer is: Estimating refrigerant usage

The option of estimating refrigerant usage directly enables the calculation of refrigeration impact because it involves quantifying the amount of refrigerant that is utilized within a system. In doing so, one can assess the potential environmental impacts associated with refrigerant emissions and performance over the life cycle of the equipment. Accurate estimations allow for a detailed understanding of the greenhouse gas emissions that may occur due to leaks, and therefore facilitate compliance with refrigerant management protocols. This calculation is essential for improving refrigerant management practices, as it can guide strategies to minimize adverse impacts on the environment and ensure better adherence to regulatory standards regarding greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps in evaluating the effectiveness of different refrigerant management practices as part of achieving sustainability goals. While monitoring refrigerant leaks, using no refrigerants, and recycling refrigerants are all important aspects of refrigerant management, they each focus on specific actions or practices rather than enabling the quantitative analysis necessary to understand refrigeration impact comprehensively. Monitoring leaks is crucial for maintaining system efficiency but does not provide a complete picture of refrigerant usage. Not using refrigerants eliminates potential environmental impacts but does not contribute to the refrigeration impact calculation of systems that do utilize refrigerants. Recycling refrigerants is beneficial for sustainability but does not inherently involve the calculation or estimation of