AIRAH has released a best practice guide to methods for calculating total equivalent warming impact.
It allows users to calculate the overall impact of HVAC&R systems and is available online for free.
Methods of Calculating Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) 2012 is ideal for facility operators, system designers and industry practitioners to help them make informed decisions and also compare the environmental effects of different technical options.
In addition to calculating the overall environmental impact, it measures the indirect impact of the energy required to operate the HVAC&R system, as well as measuring refrigerant loss or ‘fugitive emissions’.
AIRAH CEO Phil Wilkinson said controlling greenhouse gases requires an ongoing evaluation of energy consumption.
“The guide takes into account that the largest impact of global warming from stationary HVAC&R systems is through the generation of electricity to power the plant,” he said.
“In short, it calculates a whole-of-life measure of a system’s global warming impact.”
Refrigerant released during the lifetime of the equipment, including unrecovered losses on final disposal, is added to the impact of CO2 emissions from the fossil fuels used to generate energy to operate the equipment throughout its life.
Phil Wilkinson
