Fluorinated gases (f-gas)

This article explains how to enter refrigerant installation data in Scaler and record leakage from HVAC, refrigeration, heat pumps, etc.

Fluorinated gases (F-gases) are synthetic refrigerants used primarily in HVAC and cooling systems, refrigeration systems, heat pumps, and fire suppression equipment. Examples include HFCs, PFCs, SF₆, and blended refrigerants.

F-gases have very high global warming potentials (GWPs)—from hundreds to tens of thousands of times the impact of CO₂. Because of this, any leakage from equipment containing F-gases contributes significantly to an asset's total GHG emissions, making proper tracking essential for accurate Scope 1 or Scope 3 reporting, realistic performance baselining, and effective net-zero transition planning.

F-gas data is entered under:

Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Asset List → [edit] → Meters & Consumption → Installations

Each installation represents a piece of equipment using a refrigerant. There are two ways to record leakage:

To record a piece of equipment and its average annual leakage rate, complete the following fields:

Note on Scope classification

Leakage during installation or decommission counts as Scope 1 (landlord-controlled equipment) or Scope 3 (tenant-controlled). Emissions from removal of the refrigerant after equipment decommissioning do not fall under operational control Scope 1.

Scaler calculates F-gas emissions based on leak rate by default, but you can record actual leakage from service events using the following workaround.

Background: When a technician services equipment, the amount of refrigerant added during the refill equals the leakage since the previous visit. This method allows you to record that actual-measured-leakage rather than relying on estimated leak rates.

Steps to record actual leakage

Scaler will automatically calculate the CO₂e emissions by multiplying the kilograms entered by the GWP value for the selected F-gas type.

Why this workaround is necessary

Scaler's installation structure is designed primarily for leak rate-based reporting. This workaround allows you to record actual measured leakage until native support for service-event-based leakage reporting is added.

Need help?

If you're unsure whether your refrigerant setup or leakage report is correct, contact your Scaler account manager or email support@scalerglobal.com.

In the Analytics Portal, calculated F-gas emissions appear under:

Analytics Portal → Portfolio → Performance → GHG Emissions

Note: Asset-level analytics currently do not show F-gas emissions.

Calculated F-gas emissions appear in the Data Export report, generated either from the:

Download the Extended report to view Scope 1 F-gas emissions and Scope 3 F-gas emissions.

In the Roadmap Tool, F-gas emissions influence CRREM pathway calculations. Assets exposed to F-gas leakage may need to follow CRREM pathways that include F-gas emissions, rather than those based on energy-related CO₂e alone.

Scaler uses GWP values from the IPCC 5th Assessment Report (AR5), 100-year time horizon by default. While the IPCC 6th Assessment Report (AR6) is available, most organizations in the industry continue to use AR5 values. Scaler's use of AR5 aligns with UK DEFRA guidance and ensures consistency with common reporting practices.

In cases where AR5 does not provide values for specific refrigerants, Scaler uses values from the IPCC 4th Assessment Report (AR4), aligning with IPCC methodology.

Refrigerants that rely on AR4 values include: R-454B, R-1234Z, R-513A, and HCFC-123.

Note: If your organization has separately agreed with Scaler to use AR4 values as the system default, this guidance may not apply to you.

The table below provides a quick reference for common F-gas types and their GWP values:

This list is not exhaustive. For the complete list of GWP values, refer to the IPCC Assessment Reports or the GHG Protocol guidance on fluorinated gases.