Refrigerant Management: Protect Your Profits, Protect the Planet

On especially challenging days, the compliance issues associated with refrigerant management can feel like a burden. It can certainly be a balancing act to manage both profitability and regulatory compliance. However, a small shift in your perspective can help turn things around. When you have the right refrigerant management software, you can view compliance as a way to protect your profits and the planet. The right compliance management software will support you as you make that shift. 

Check out our guide to Refrigerant Management Tracking & Reporting to learn more about how Fexa Trakref can help you transition to a better system. 

Effective refrigerant management does more than just help large companies comply with all applicable regulations. It also helps businesses like yours reduce their environmental footprint, reduce costs, and optimize efficiency. 

Fexa Trakref provides a comprehensive solution to refrigerant management. Compliance management software like Trakref can dramatically improve your operations, prevent costly mistakes, and support your commitment to environmental responsibility. 

Understanding the Dual Impact of Refrigerant Leaks

There are two key reasons to keep your use of refrigerants under control: financial costs and environmental costs. 

Inefficient refrigerant management directly affects multiple KPIs. Specifically: 

• Material needs
• Maintenance activities
• Equipment life cycles
• Energy costs
• Environmental sustainability 

The impact of these areas tends to overlap. For example, reducing energy costs through better refrigerant management improves your environmental sustainability. Likewise, routine maintenance extends the lifespan of major equipment assets. Understanding the financial and environmental costs of refrigerant management is important for smart facilities managers. 

The Financial Cost

The financial implications of poor refrigerant management extend far beyond the cost of replacing the leaked substance—which can be costly on its own.  According to industry research, refrigerant leaks can impact your business financially in several ways. This includes:

• Energy Efficiency Loss: When a system loses just 20% of its refrigerant charge, it can increase your energy costs by 15% 
• Decreased Equipment Lifespan: Equipment operating with insufficient refrigerant experiences increased wear and tear, reducing its lifespan
• Increased Maintenance Costs: A typical cost for labor time to repair a leak can reach $910, not including the cost of replacement refrigerant, which can range from $10 to $125 per pound depending on the type 

When these costs are combined, the financial impact of refrigerant leaks is substantial. For instance, a study found that leaks from just six small systems can cost an operation over $10,730.

Learn more about these numbers and more in our Fexa Trakref guide: “The Financial Impact of Refrigerant Leaks.”

Compliance management software should help to control these costs. Unfortunately, outdated sustainability software doesn’t really provide the versatility or features you need to limit the financial impact of compliance issues. 

Environmental Costs

Refrigerants, especially hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), have a significant environmental impact due to their high Global Warming Potential (GWP). The consequences of refrigerant leaks include major contributions to climate change. 

HFCs have come into regulatory focus because of their environmental impact. Today, the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act aims to reduce HFC production by 85% before 2036. 

It’s important to pay attention to the links between environmental costs and financial ones. Companies that fail to regulate their refrigerants appropriately have the potential to cause massive damage to our shared environment. These failures cause economic damages to the company in the form of fines, but also decreased sales. Consumers are pushing back against these kinds of companies, choosing to take their business elsewhere. 

Most customers don’t think about sustainability software, but when you use good compliance management software, you can appeal to customers who are mindful about their spending! 

Staying Compliant Through Refrigerant Management Software

As regulatory requirements grow increasingly complex, refrigerant management software has become essential for businesses to maintain compliance and avoid costly penalties. Let’s start with an overview of major refrigerant regulations that your organization is likely required to comply with. 

Only the smallest of facilities may be exempt from some of these rules. When evaluating your compliance management software options, it is important to check with your company’s compliance officer to confirm your obligations.

Key Refrigerant Regulations

Several regulatory frameworks govern refrigerant management. They include: 

1. The AIM Act: This legislation establishes a comprehensive program to reduce HFC emissions through production phasedowns, use restrictions, and leak management requirements. It applies to any facility whose system has a refrigerant charge of 15 pounds or more and a GWP greater than 53.  
2. EPA Section 608: This regulation sets the allowable refrigerant leak rate by appliance type, with varying rates for different systems. Non-compliance can lead to fines of up to $117,000 per violation.
3. State-Level Regulations: States like California, New York, and Washington have implemented their own refrigerant management laws, often more stringent than federal requirements. For example, California has a 0% allowable leak rate. 
4. CARB R3 Requirements: The California Air Resources Board's Refrigerant Registration and Reporting System requires facilities to submit detailed reports on refrigerant usage and emissions. (See our guide with specific information about how Fexa Trakref’s compliance management software can keep you aligned with CARB R3 rules.)

How Compliance Management Software Reduces Non-Compliance Risk

Refrigerant management software automates and streamlines compliance processes in several key ways. 

Compliance management software for refrigeration management can continually monitor refrigerant usage, leaks, and disposal. This automated tracking ensures accurate data for compliance reporting—something you can’t live without in the world of refrigerant management. 

Based on automated tracking, you can also receive real-time alerts in the form of automated notifications, warning you of potential leaks, upcoming inspections, and approaching compliance deadlines. 

Compliance management software systems like Trakref also generate audit-ready reports, including CARB R3 XML bulk uploads that meet updated format requirements for 2025. 

Finally, this kind of software should provide comprehensive asset management that records refrigerant-containing equipment in detail. This prevents you from accidentally overlooking major and minor assets in your compliance efforts. 

With these capabilities, refrigerant management software significantly reduces the risk of non-compliance and the associated penalties.

ESG Software and Sustainability Initiatives

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have become increasingly important to investors, consumers, and other stakeholders. ESG software tools, including refrigerant management software, plays a crucial role in tracking emissions and supporting sustainability initiatives.

Refrigerant management is a critical component of corporate ESG software strategies for several reasons, including these: 

• Scope 1 Emissions Tracking: Refrigerant leaks are considered Scope 1 emissions under greenhouse gas reporting frameworks. Accurate tracking is essential for comprehensive emissions reporting, especially for CARB compliance. 
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: ESG software provides insights that help businesses identify inefficiencies and implement targeted improvements to reduce their environmental footprint.
• Regulatory Compliance Documentation: Sustainability software maintains the documentation needed to demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations, a key aspect of ESG reporting.

Stakeholders care about sustainability reporting, too. Increasingly, consumers expect transparency around the environmental impact of the businesses where they spend their money. Stakeholders in your organization want to see an expansion of potential customers, not a contraction of potential consumers due to a lack of trust. 

Companies that demonstrate a strong history of environmental stewardship can differentiate themselves in the marketplace. When you implement strong refrigerant management protocols as part of your ESG strategy, you can meet stakeholder expectations while also improving efficiency. 

The Power of Integration: Trakref API and CMMS Tools

When you need to maintain compliance while keeping costs low,  your best option is to lean into the power of integration. When your compliance and facilities management systems are in alignment, you can efficiently reduce workloads and improve compliance outcomes. 

Fexa Trakref API offers this critical connection between facilities and compliance. Whether you choose to connect Fexa Trakref API to your existing CMMS or pair it with Fexa CMMS for maximum integration, you will benefit from features that are designed for companies who understand the importance of compliance for both cost reasons and environmental ones. 

Fexa Trakref API links your refrigerant data to your Facilities Management Software (FMS)

We can’t overstate how important this is! Linking refrigerant data to your FMS means: 

• Refrigerant data is in the same technology ecosystem as other facilities systems, creating a comprehensive view of operations
• Workflows are streamlined by eliminating duplicate data entry
• Decision-making is enhanced by real-time, accurate, and actionable data 

How Trakref's API Works with CMMS Platforms

TrakRef API performs multiple essential tasks for refrigerant management: 

• Synchronizes data
• Automates work orders
• Provides administrators with refrigerant data
• Maintains consistency across systems

For Fexa users, the newest Trakref integration module leverages this API to offer unmatched flexibility by combining Fexa's facilities management platform with Trakref's compliance rules engine.

If you’re not using Fexa’s CMMS, Trakref’s API is designed to integrate into whatever system you currently use! That means that you don’t have to change everything at once just to take advantage of the benefits of Trakref.

Fexa Trakref: Balancing Environmental Impact and Profitability

Fexa Trakref stands out as a comprehensive solution for balancing environmental responsibility with profitability. This integrated approach offers significant benefits for businesses seeking to optimize their refrigerant management, control costs, maintain full compliance, and contribute positively to sustainable business practices. 

Adopting a proactive approach to refrigerant management through Fexa Trakref delivers substantial long-term benefits, including: 

• Extended asset lifespan
• Energy savings
• Reduced materials costs
• Optimized maintenance schedules 

Fexa Trakref helps businesses streamline their refrigerant management and compliance protocols through: 

• Comprehensive compliance management 
• Automated workflows 
• Real-time monitoring of system performance and refrigerant usage
• Data-driven insights about trends, performance, and issues

By implementing Fexa Trakref, businesses can protect both their profits and the planet through effective refrigerant management.

Effective refrigerant management is no longer just a regulatory requirement—it's a strategic business imperative that benefits both the bottom line and the environment. By implementing robust refrigerant management software, businesses can reduce costs, ensure compliance, and support their sustainability goals.

Fexa Trakref offers a comprehensive solution that addresses all aspects of refrigerant management, from compliance tracking to operational optimization. When you need to balance compliance, performance, costs, and environmental values, Fexa Trakref makes all the difference! Request a demo today and take the first step toward protecting your profits and the planet.