The refrigerants used in air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump systems contain greenhouse gases that are many times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere and negatively affect the Earth’s ozone layer. These gases can leak from HVAC equipment, refrigerators, chillers, air conditioning units in buildings and vehicles as well as dehumidifiers. Leaking refrigerants increases atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations which drive continued global warming. This Refrigerant Management Program will focus on developing and communicating a management plan for municipal refrigerants in the City of Kingston municipal building and fleet portfolio. The Program will develop a comprehensive plan to address municipal refrigerant purchase, management, education and disposal (recycling or destruction) to reduce GHG emissions.
Kingston's Climate Action Plans have set goals of GHG emissions reductions in government operations and city wide. These Plans establish that buildings and facilities contribute emissions from heating and cooling systems, that our vehicle fleet uses refrigeration equipment which may have emissions, and that solid waste disposal, including large appliances, could be contributing to refrigerant emissions. This project will address this with a comprehensive management plan for refrigerants in municipal operations and city wide. The plan will address municipal refrigerant purchase, management and disposal to reduce GHG emissions. This project will focus on reducing emissions from refrigerants in the municipal building and fleet portfolio as well as from municipal sanitation department’s collected appliances containing refrigerants.
The broader goal of the project is the elimination of any leakage of refrigerant gases into the atmosphere which will reduce ozone depletion and climate change contributions. Further, improved refrigerants use may reduce energy consumption, lowering CO2 emissions.
Statewide