Fluorinated Gases (F-gases) & GHG Emissions
Fluorinated gases (F-gases) are a key component of real-estate emissions reporting—especially for assets with HVAC, refrigeration, heat pumps, or fire suppression equipment. Scaler supports F-gas reporting across multiple frameworks (GRI, SECR, INREV, GRESB). This article explains how F-gases are handled in Scaler and how to enter the correct data.
What Are F-gases & Why They Matter for Real Estate
Fluorinated gases are synthetic refrigerants used primarily in:
- HVAC and cooling systems
- Refrigeration systems
- Heat pumps
- Fire suppression equipment
Examples include HFCs, PFCs, SF₆, and blended refrigerants.
They have very high global warming potentials (GWPs)—from hundreds to tens of thousands of times the impact of CO₂. Because of this, F-gases are tightly regulated in the EU/UK and must be monitored, serviced, and reported.
F-gases influence three major areas:
1. GHG emissions & net-zero strategies
Because of their high GWP, any leakage from equipment containing F-gases contributes significantly to an asset’s total GHG emissions. Proper tracking is essential for:
- Accurate Scope 1 or Scope 3 reporting
- Realistic performance baselining
- Effective net-zero transition planning
Assets exposed to F-gas leakage may also need to follow the CRREM pathways that include F-gas emissions, rather than those based on energy-related CO₂e alone.
2. Regulatory compliance
The EU/UK F-gas Regulation (517/2014) requires:
- Regular leak checks
- Detailed record-keeping
- Proper handling during installation and disposal
3. Sustainability certifications
F-gas management affects ratings such as:
- BREEAM
- LEED
- EPC/Energy labels
Inputting F-gas Data in Scaler
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:
- Annual average leak rate
- Actual leakage from a service event (using a manual workaround)
1. Leakage Rate
To record a piece of equipment and its average annual leakage rate, complete the following fields:
F-gas capacity: The full charge (kg) of the refrigerant. Multiplied by the leak rate to estimate kg leaked annually.
Leak factor %: A percentage (0–100). Combined with capacity to calculate estimated annual leakage (kg).
Fluorinated gas type: Determines the GWP value. Multiplied by the estimated leakage to calculate kg/CO₂e emissions.
Assembly emissions: Enter any f-gas lost during installation that required topping up.
Disposal emissions: Enter any f-gas lost during decommissioning.- Leakage during installation or decommission counts as Scope 1 (landlord-controlled equipment) or Scope 3 (tenant-controlled).
- Emissions from refrigerant processing/disposal after removal of the equipment do not fall under operational control Scope 1.
2. Actual Leakage
Scaler currently calculates F-gas emissions based on leak rate, but you can record actual leakage from service events using a workaround.
When a technician services equipment, the amount of refrigerant added during the refill equals the leakage since the previous visit.
To record this:
- Create a new “installation” entry for each service event (use a clear naming convention to link events to the same equipment).
- Enter
F-gas capacity= 0
- Enter
Leak rate= 0
- Enter the emissions produced by refill/service in (kg/CO2e) under
Assembly emissions - This currently requires a manual emission calculation based on refill amount (kg) and the GWP corresponding to the F-gas type. An upcoming update will allow users to instead enter the kilograms refilled in kg (emissions calculation will then be done automatically within Scaler).
- Use
Installation dateandDecommission dateto mark the service date range so emissions apply to the correct reporting period.
F-gas Emission Calculations in Scaler
Visualizations
In the Analytics Portal, calculated F-gas emissions appear under:
Portfolio → Analytics → GHG Emissions
(Note: Asset-level analytics currently do not show F-gas emissions.)
Reports
Calculated F-gas emissions appear in the Data Export report, generated either from the:
- Analytics Portal → Asset → Asset Overview table, or
- Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Reports → Data Export
Download the Extended report to view:
- Scope 1 F-gas emissions
- Scope 3 F-gas emissions
Roadmap Tool & CRREM
In the Roadmap Tool, F-gas emissions influence CRREM benchmarking.
CRREM provides specific emissions pathways for assets with material F-gas leakage.
On the Emissions tab, use the toggle to switch between standard and F-gas-inclusive pathways.
Reference Source for GWP Values
Scaler uses IPCC AR5 (Fifth Assessment Report) GWP values, using the 100-year time horizon.
Common Refrigerants (AR5 GWPs)
(Matches Scaler’s factors in January 2026)
Refrigerant | GWP (AR5) |
HFC 438A | 2264 |
HFC 427A | 2138 |
HFC 407A | 2107 |
HFC-32 / HFC-125 | 2088 |
HFC 442A | 1888 |
HFC 407F | 1825 |
HFC 437A | 1805 |
HFC 407C | 1774 |
HFC 426A | 1508 |
HFC 134a | 1430 |
HFC 245fa | 1030 |
HFC 365mfc | 794 |
HFC 32 | 675 |
HFC 152a | 124 |
HCFC-22 / HFC-152a / HCFC-124 | 2088 |
SF₆ | 22,800 |
HFC 23 | 14,800 |
HFC 508B | 13,396 |
HFC 143a | 4,470 |
HFC 507A | 3,985 |
HFC 404A | 3,922 |
HFC 428A | 3,607 |
HFC 125 | 3,500 |
HFC 434A | 3,245 |
HFC 227ea | 3,220 |
HFC 422A | 3,143 |
HFC 422D | 2,729 |
HFC 417A | 2,346 |
HFC 423A | 2,280 |
References
- IPCC GWP Values (2024): https://ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/Global-Warming-Potential-Values%20%28August%202024%29.pdf
Need Help?
If you’re unsure whether your refrigerant setup or leakage reporting is correct, or would like us to review your installations:
➡️ Contact Scaler Support
We’re happy to help ensure your reporting is accurate and complete.