Refrigerant & Other

“Refrigerant & other” refers to a category of emissions that come from fluids and chemicals used in cooling, heating, and other specialized equipment, rather than from fuel combustion or direct energy use. These are typically high-global-warming-potential (GWP) gases.

Refrigerants

  • Chemicals used in air conditioning, refrigeration, and heat pumps.
  • Common examples: HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), HCFCs, and HFOs.
  • GHG impact: Some refrigerants have a very high global warming potential (GWP), meaning even small leaks release a lot of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

Other

Includes other industrial gases or specialty chemicals with GHG potential, e.g.:

  • Fire suppression gases (e.g., halons)
  • Solvents and propellants in certain processes
  • Small emissions from leakage, maintenance, or product use

Organisations report refrigerant and other emissions to estimate their Scope 1 (direct) emissions. Refrigerant and other conversion factors should be used for the purpose of reporting leakage from air-conditioning, refrigeration units or the release to the atmosphere of other gases that have global warming potential (GWP).

This value links to the Master Value EN MeasureUp EN1 GHG Emissions value.

EN1.1.3

Refrigerant & Other

Environment
  • Measuring GHG Emissions

Key Value

£252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e

The monetised value of CO2 emissions for refrigerant & other per kg CO2e.

Conversion factors should be used to report Scope 1 emissions for refrigerants. For more information about principles for GHG accounting and reporting and three “scopes” of emissions, please visit MeasureUp EN1 GHG Emissions value.

According to the 2021 carbon values from DESNZ/BEIS, Carbon values in £2020 prices per tonne of CO2: central series for 2023 is £252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e. For more information, please visit MeasureUp GHG Emissions value.

UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024 reports the kgCO2e for fuel types and different activities. Access the data.

Gases regulated under the agreed ‘Kyoto Protocol’ which is an international treaty that set binding GHG reduction obligations for 37 industrialised countries.

Activity Emission Unit kg CO2e Monetised Value
Kyoto protocol products Carbon dioxide kg 1.00000 £0.252

Please visit the government conversion factors for greenhouse gas reporting website for further guidance.

This value represents a cost or disbenefit through the creation of the GHGs emitted.  The value should therefore not be presented as a positive value or added to an overall social value figure.

Local Needs Analysis Data Source

Before using this MeasureUp value, we encourage you to assess the local need in relation to the activity or outcome.

Here is the most useful initial data source for assessing local need in relation to this value.

To assess local needs related to the value EN1.1.3 ‘Refrigerant & other’, use the Greenhouse Gas Emissions data provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This indicator measures carbon emissions across sectors and is available annually at both local authority and regional levels. It supports understanding of local contributions to climate change and progress toward net zero targets

Bronze

Effort

Accuracy

Monetised value:

At the Bronze level, you should calculate the approximate CO2 emissions from refrigerant and other emissions.  Represent the cost or disbenefit of the emissions from refrigerant and other emissions.

Silver

Effort

Accuracy

Monetised value:

At the Silver level, you should calculate the emissions by activity, by type of gas, as each has different levels of carbon emissions. Represent the cost or disbenefit of refrigerant and other emissions.

Gold

Effort

Accuracy

Gold+

Effort

Accuracy

Value Type: Activity What's this?
UN SDG Categories:
  • 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • 13. Climate Action
  • 15. Life on Land
What's this?
2020 Social Value Models:
    • MAC 4.1 Additional environmental benefits
    • MAC 4.2 Influence environmental protection and improvement
    • Policy Outcome 4: Effective stewardship of the environment
    • Theme 3: Fighting Climate Change
What's this?
2025 Social Value Models:
    • 4a. Deliver additional environmental benefits in the performance of the contract
    • Mission 2: Make Britain a clean energy superpower
    • Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices
What's this?

Evidence

Measure Up focuses on empowering you to numerically measure the impact you’re having. We recommend that numeric reports are backed up with stories and other types of evidence to help illustrate, in human terms, the impact that’s being made on individuals.

We recommend seeing consent from one or more participants in your intervention to collect and tell their story. This should include a little background on the participant, a summing up of life before the intervention, the human impact of the intervention, and the longer term (if known) impact on the person’s life outside of, and after, the intervention.

Providing photographs, audio recordings, video interviews or even artefacts from the intervention (for example, writing, paintings, music, etc from creative interventions) can add more colour, and convey the emotional impact of interventions more directly.

In some cases it’s appropriate to anonymise or abbreviate the personal information of case study participants. No story should be published or shared without the recorded consent of the individual(s) it concerns. Individuals continue to own the rights to their stories and if they request you stop sharing the story or making it available online you should do so promptly and without need for justification.

More help

We want to empower anyone to perform and improve their impact measurement – without needing a degree in economics.

If you need any more help, or just someone to do the legwork for you we can help signpost you to software, training and consultancy to help you get to grips with the impact you’re having.

Data Sources