Industrial Heat Pumps & Electrified Thermal Systems worked example

Refrigerant Loss Exposure at 3.45% expected annual leak rate of the fleet: a worked example

What does the result look like when expected annual leak rate of the fleet reaches 3.45%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when service, EHS, or sustainability teams need to plan refrigerant inventory, leak response, environmental reporting, and cost exposure for installed systems.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Heat pump units or refrigerant circuits in service: 24 units (unchanged)
  • Refrigerant charge per unit (e.g. R-1234ze, R-744): 75 kg / unit (unchanged)
  • Expected annual leak rate of the fleet: 3.45 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 3)
  • Service venting and leak-event reserve: 50 kg (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base refrigerant loss exposure = heat pump units or circuits × refrigerant charge per unit × expected annual refrigerant loss) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,800 kg for consumption, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,210 $ for run cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 75 hr for runtime.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3.45 $ / unit for unit cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where expected annual leak rate of the fleet sits at 3% and the headline result is 1,800 kg, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 1,800 kg.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when expected annual leak rate of the fleet is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It applies a single flat fleet-average leak rate; real losses cluster on a few ageing or poorly brazed circuits, so a uniform percentage understates the worst offenders.

Results at a glance

  • Consumption: 1,800 kg (headline result)
  • Run cost: 6,210 $
  • Runtime: 75 hr
  • Unit cost: 3.45 $ / unit

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Refrigerant Loss Exposure calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.