My Journey to Solve FGas and Refrigerant Leaks and Emissions
Achieving Compliance and Sustainability Excellence Trakref was a vital innovation in HVAC/R Management, an essential lesson in the opportunity to solve problems, and a chance to work with some of the most committed individuals in the race to reduce emissions.
2024 signals the last year of business as usual for building owners and operators everywhere, and that’s true even for people like myself.
With recent regulatory shifts under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AIM Act, particularly Subsection H and California’s SB 253, the operational and compliance landscape for HVAC/R system owners and operators has become increasingly complex.
These regulations place heightened demands on organizations to improve reporting accuracy, reduce environmental impact, and implement proactive management practices for high-impact assets.
Simultaneously, global sustainability frameworks such as the UN Global Compact, the EU ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) directives, and the emerging trend of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting create additional pressures.
These overlapping mandates converge, forming a critical inflection point where compliance and sustainability must align.
For over two decades, the vision to resolve the persistent challenge of HVAC/R refrigerant leaks has driven innovation, collaboration, and commitment within the industry.
My commitment to the solution has been Trakref’s realization of this vision, rooted in the belief that solving this issue would require a new model, better tools, and a shared commitment from stakeholders.
What began as a technical aspiration grew into a movement where technology, governance, and partnerships emerged to transform the industry.
Addressing refrigerant leaks is crucial not only for operational efficiency but also for mitigating climate change, as the release of refrigerants into the atmosphere significantly contributes to this global issue.
Effective leak testing is crucial in identifying and minimizing refrigerant leaks, ensuring systems operate within acceptable performance parameters and reducing environmental impact.
Refrigerants have been a silent climate Crisis, Leaking More CO₂ Than Airlines—And How Grassroots Innovation is Turning the Tide.
The refrigerant industry has continuously operated under the radar of public awareness and has quietly been responsible for leaking CO₂-equivalent emissions greater than the entire commercial airline industry.
While aviation’s carbon footprint, highlighted by its 918 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2019(GACA-FS-EN-oct2020), has drawn significant attention and scrutiny, refrigerant leaks remain an overlooked environmental crisis.
These leaks, often silent and anonymous, have historically evaded both public concern and stringent regulation. However, through grassroots efforts by passionate individuals and committed groups—including myself—and the development of tools like Trakref, the veil of anonymity is lifting.
These efforts have driven awareness that motivated innovation, shifting the focus toward actionable solutions rather than visibility.
This groundswell of change has opened a world of awareness and reshaped the narrative of accountability and environmental stewardship in industries long plagued by “Business as usual.”
By confronting these emissions head-on, the refrigerant sector is poised to achieve a level of transparency and impact that rivals the attention given to aviation and other high-profile industries.
Due to recent regulation changes, I want to explain the intricate dynamics of HVAC/R management within this regulatory and operational ecosystem.
It underscores how Trakref was formed —a hybrid platform combining Environmental Management Systems (EMS), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), and maintenance management capabilities—and emerged as the most effective solution for bridging compliance, sustainability, and operational performance gaps.
Beyond its technical prowess, our work reflected a collective commitment to results driven by the passion and dedication of real people (customers whom we referred to as Partners and Trakref people)tackling real problems.
Effective refrigerant management is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, given the high potency of refrigerant gases compared to carbon dioxide, and is vital for achieving net-zero goals.
The Regulatory Demands: SB 253 and AIM Act Subsection H
SB 253: Climate Corporate Data Accountability
California’s SB 253 introduces sweeping accountability measures for organizations to disclose their full greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including Scope 1 (direct emissions, such as carbon dioxide), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from energy), and Scope 3 (emissions across the value chain). HVAC/R systems, often significant contributors to Scope 1 emissions due to refrigerant leaks, now face increased scrutiny.
The bill demands precise data collection, quantifiable emissions reductions, and third-party verification of reports. Non-compliance carries financial penalties and reputational risks, making asset-level accuracy indispensable.
Organizations must report various emissions, including fluorinated greenhouse gases, to ensure comprehensive disclosure. Additionally, managing ozone-depleting substances is crucial to mitigate their environmental impact and uphold the achievements of the Montreal Protocol.
AIM Act Subsection H: Refrigerant Phasedown and Technology Transition
Under the AIM Act, Subsection H mandates a phasedown of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, targeting an 85% reduction by 2036.
Owners and operators are required to replace high-GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerants with lower-impact alternatives while adhering to stringent reporting and leak management protocols.
HFC refrigerants have a high global warming potential, 1,000 to 9,000 times greater than carbon dioxide, underscoring the urgency of managing and reducing these emissions. Beyond compliance, this transition imposes technical and operational challenges, such as updating asset inventories, reconfiguring maintenance schedules, and ensuring workforce readiness for new refrigerants and systems.
Together, these regulatory pressures demand an advanced approach to asset management and compliance. Organizations must implement robust systems that provide transparency, governance, and operational efficiency.
Effective refrigerant management, including leak prevention, installing advanced leak detection, recovery, and destruction of refrigerants, is crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve significant climate benefits.
HVAC/R Systems: A Critical Nexus of Sustainability, Compliance, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Ten years ago, reporting obligations like SB 253 and Subsection H would have posed significant challenges for organizations striving to meet these requirements. HVAC/R systems are capital-intensive assets with broad implications for compliance, operational performance, sustainability goals, comfort, risk, and our newest demand for cooling in data centers. Refrigerants have a wide range of GWP impacts, potentially releasing CO₂-equivalent emissions from 1 to 12,000 pounds per pound of coolant. This disparity underscores the importance of precise asset management strategies.
Fragmented Reporting Standards
Conflicting definitions of refrigeration across states and federal regulations complicate data capture and reporting. For example, California defines refrigeration systems based on evaporator coil temperatures, while federal guidelines focus on food-cooling equipment.
Data Silos and Inconsistencies
Facility managers often struggle to align operational data with ESG disclosures, leading to gaps in Scope 1 and 3 emissions reporting. Sustainability reporting remains inconsistent and unreliable without a comprehensive digital twin—a virtual replica of assets.
High Operational Risks
HVAC/R systems are vulnerable to breakdowns, leaks, and inefficient maintenance practices, exacerbating emissions, increasing costs, and hindering compliance efforts.
Sustainability and Financial Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Investors increasingly use ESG metrics as proxies for financial performance. Companies that fail to demonstrate clear linkages between compliance and sustainability risk alienating investors, undermining reputation, and incurring financial penalties. HVAC/R systems, including heat pumps, as high-GWP assets, are uniquely positioned to drive compliance success and sustainability outcomes when managed effectively.
Refrigerants: The Silent Climate Crisis of Refrigerant Leaks Leaking More CO₂ Than Airlines—And How Grassroots Innovation is Turning the Tide
The refrigerant industry, operating in relative obscurity compared to high-profile sectors like aviation, has quietly been responsible for leaking CO₂-equivalent emissions that surpass the carbon footprint of the entire commercial airline sector.
In 2019 alone, commercial aviation emitted 918 million tonnes of CO₂ globally (GACA-FS-EN-oct2020), yet the climate impact of refrigerants—many of which have Global Warming Potential (GWP) thousands of times higher than CO₂—exceeds even these staggering numbers.
Despite its outsized impact, refrigerant leaks have remained a silent crisis, often hidden in the background of corporate sustainability narratives and largely ignored by public scrutiny.
Natural refrigerants are emerging as alternatives to traditional high GWP refrigerants, playing a crucial role in reducing the carbon emissions associated with refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
However, this era of anonymity is coming to an end. The veil is being lifted through grassroots efforts led by committed individuals and teams—including my own work—and the development of innovative tools like Trakref.
These efforts bring refrigerant management into the spotlight, creating a new awareness of its environmental impact and driving actionable change.
This isn’t just about the technology; it’s about shifting mindsets, challenging outdated practices, and addressing hidden vulnerabilities in how companies account for emissions, costs, and sustainability performance.
Exposing Vulnerabilities Hidden in Scope 1 and 2 Emissions
For years, companies have been able to mask vulnerabilities in their operations by focusing narrowly on financial cost savings without fully accounting for the broader implications of those decisions.
Scope 1 emissions, which include direct refrigerant leaks, and Scope 2 emissions, primarily related to energy use, are prime examples of areas where hidden risks can linger under the radar of traditional financial metrics.
For instance, consider maintenance practices. A company might save money in the short term by cutting back on maintenance spending, deferring upgrades, or avoiding necessary repairs. On paper, this looks like a cost-saving measure.
But in reality, this decision can shorten the lifespan of critical equipment, lead to increased refrigerant leaks, and drive up energy consumption due to inefficiencies.
Over time, the hidden costs—both financial and environmental—begin to mount, manifesting as higher energy bills, more frequent equipment replacements, and, ultimately, increased Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
This tactic has been commonplace as companies prioritize balance sheet optics over long-term sustainability and operational resilience.
Without proper oversight and tools to track these hidden costs, businesses inadvertently create vulnerabilities that can come to light under the scrutiny of modern emissions reporting frameworks like California’s SB 253 or the EPA’s AIM Act.
The Consequences of Masking True Costs
Traditional balance sheets often cannot capture the full extent of these hidden vulnerabilities. A focus on upfront cost savings or deferred maintenance may temporarily improve margins but can have unintended downstream consequences:
Increased Emissions
Leaking refrigerants directly contribute to Scope 1 emissions and inefficient systems consume more energy, driving up Scope 2 emissions. These increases contradict corporate ESG goals and expose companies to regulatory and reputational risks.
Shortened Equipment Lifecycles
Equipment that is poorly maintained or operated under suboptimal conditions deteriorates faster, leading to higher capital expenditures and waste.
Higher Long-Term Costs
The cumulative financial burden of increased energy use, refrigerant replenishment, and early equipment replacement often outweighs the initial savings from reduced maintenance spending.
Reputational Damage
As Scope 1 and 2 emissions come under greater scrutiny through frameworks like SB 253’s full GHG disclosure requirements, companies may struggle to justify these “savings” to investors, regulators, and stakeholders.
These vulnerabilities are not just operational—they are strategic. As investors and regulators increasingly view emissions data as a proxy for financial performance and operational efficiency, the ability to effectively manage Scope 1 and 2 emissions has become a litmus test for corporate resilience and accountability.
Bridging the Gaps
Trakref was built on the conviction that addressing refrigerant gas leaks, including the impact of f gases as potent greenhouse gases, required more than software—it demanded a shared commitment to operational excellence and environmental responsibility. The platform represented a transformative approach to HVAC/R management by creating a rules engine that operationalized compliance and sustainability requirements through specialized tools and meaningful partnerships. We believe software should engage the entire workforce in the solution, not just a select group of company experts.
After 15 years on the front lines of this issue, I recognized the need for a specialized solution for air conditioning, refrigeration, and industrial cooling that focused on supporting people and helping them effectively manage their activities. This solution had to go beyond just capturing data; it needed to include a rules engine that governed actions, influenced behavior, and guided users to achieve better outcomes. By engaging the entire workforce, we became more than a typical software provider—we created a system that empowered organizations to navigate regulatory pressures and drive meaningful, sustained improvements.
Maintenance Has the Budgets, Compliance Has the Risk, and Sustainability Gets All the Attention
For years, the management of HVAC/R systems has been hindered by significant gaps, with maintenance, compliance, and sustainability often operating in silos. Maintenance teams controlled the budgets but focused on short-term fixes, often disconnected from the broader compliance risks and sustainability goals. Compliance teams faced mounting regulatory pressures, such as the AIM Act, without the tools or processes to track and govern activities effectively. Meanwhile, while receiving significant attention, sustainability initiatives struggled to align with operational realities due to unreliable data and fragmented systems.
This disconnect led to reactive approaches—companies addressing problems only after they occurred at the expense of efficiency, equipment lifespan, and overall performance. Without a cohesive framework, organizations miss opportunities to integrate maintenance and compliance into a unified strategy, leaving gaps that hinder both short-term outcomes and long-term objectives.
We recognized this fragmentation and built a platform to bridge these gaps. The focus wasn’t just on managing data, governing activity, and influencing behavior to drive better results. By creating a rules engine that operationalized compliance, Trakref gave companies the structure, transparency, and tools to connect maintenance practices with compliance oversight and sustainability efforts. It wasn’t just about solving immediate challenges but also about creating a foundation for operational excellence and team collaboration.
Partnerships: There Has Always Been a Human Element
Better refrigerant management success would not have been possible without the dedication of the people and organizations who believed in the vision. Owners, operators, and service providers were not just users but partners in a shared mission. Facility managers, corporate sustainability teams, and service providers were critical in ensuring compliance and sustainability goals were achieved. These partners worked collaboratively to manage refrigerants, including fluorinated gases, ensuring activities were governed and outcomes aligned with operational and environmental objectives.
This human element was always central to Trakref’s approach. It was never just about software or tools—it was about engaging real people in solving real problems, creating shared accountability, and achieving meaningful results.
Where One Door Closes, Another Opens: The Evolution Through Partnerships
As Trakref evolved, its ability to integrate compliance, maintenance, and sustainability into a single framework highlighted its potential to transform operations. However, the market’ demands grew, and customers required even deeper technical capabilities. Trakref had pushed the limits of its standalone platform, and it became clear that a broader solution was needed to meet these demands.
The partnership with Fexa was the next logical step. Combining Trakref’s expertise in refrigerant management and compliance with Fexa’s advanced maintenance management capabilities created a seamless integration that extended the platform’s reach.
This collaboration allowed for:
Enhanced data sharing, enabling real-time insights across teams.
Unified workflows that bridged compliance and maintenance.
A more comprehensive solution tailored to meet increasingly complex operational and regulatory challenges.
This transition wasn’t just a strategic decision but a natural evolution of Trakref’s vision. The partnership with Fexa opened doors to broader innovation, greater scalability, and a more profound impact. Together, they delivered a solution that addressed the interconnected maintenance, compliance, and sustainability needs.
Bringing It All Together
The success of refrigerant management has always been about more than just technology—it’s been about the people who believed in a better way and worked to achieve it. Through a combination of innovative tools, strategic partnerships, and the dedication of engaged stakeholders, the small group of employees, an customers helped transform the landscape of HVAC/R management. By embracing collaboration and integration, it has set a new standard for what’s possible, proving that operational excellence and sustainability are best achieved together.
Building on Success: A New Chapter in Reducing Refrigerant Leaks and Enhancing Refrigerant Recovery
For over twenty years, the aspiration to resolve refrigerant leaks and transform HVAC/R management has guided my work and the evolution of Trakref. What began as a focused effort to manage cylinders better expanded into a mission to redefine refrigerant management through innovation, collaboration, and developing a rules engine to guide the workforce. Along the way, we built more than just a platform—we built relationships, influenced regulatory landscapes, and contributed to shaping an industry.
We translated hard-earned lessons into practical solutions at each step, embedding them into Trakref as tools to simplify complexities and improve outcomes. But the journey wasn’t solely about technology. It was about people—partners, regulators, legislators, service providers, and frontline teams. We worked with state and federal authorities, members of Congress, and regulators, helping them understand the markets their rules were impacting. We partnered with subscribers and their providers to align on goals, clarify obligations, and reinforce the importance of compliance.
One principle remained central: technology should work for us, not the other way around. Every keystroke, feature, and update was designed to streamline work, not complicate it. Trakref became a testament to how technology could deliver operational excellence and regulatory compliance without sacrificing efficiency when paired with collaboration and purpose.
Reflecting on what we’ve built together over the past 30 years, I am incredibly proud of Trakref’s impact and the relationships it has fostered. But the time has come for me to move forward to tackle a new challenge that demands focus and innovation. The journey to improve refrigerant management is far from over, but the tools and support are now in place to sustain our progress.
My next frontier is clear: reducing refrigerant leaks through advanced detection and proactive engagement. This new chapter builds on everything I’ve learned, focusing on equipping frontline teams with better tools, richer data, and actionable insights to identify and resolve leaks faster. After months of evaluation and preparation, I am confident in this direction. The foundation is set with robust regulatory frameworks like the AIM Act, SB 253, and CSRD in place, along with growing pressure for transparency.
Trakref has been an incredible journey, but my path now leads to solving the next critical challenge in this field. Together, we’ve built something transformative, and I leave with immense gratitude and pride, knowing that the groundwork is in place for continued success. Now, I focus on advancing leak detection and reducing their impact, ensuring that our progress is only the beginning of what’s possible.
