Nonprofit BRAIN urges local action on refrigerants, offers technical help for businesses

BRAIN, a local nonprofit that runs the Rethink store in Glenwood, told the Eugene Sustainability Commission that refrigerants — chemicals used in refrigerators, HVAC and cold-storage systems — account for about 7% of the city’s greenhouse-gas inventory and present a substantial, under-recognized emissions source.

The presentation, given by Beth (program coordinator, BRAIN) and Robin (OASIS intern and BRAIN outreach staff), explained the types of refrigerants in common use, how leaks occur, and low- and no-cost maintenance actions that reduce leaks and energy use. Beth and Robin described work the organization is doing with 15 Lane County businesses under a DEQ/EPA-funded project and showed a brewery site study that tracked temperature and power draw to demonstrate how equipment condition and usage patterns affect electricity use.

Why it matters: refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have very high global-warming potential when released; preventing leaks and improving equipment efficiency can cut both emissions and operating costs. Presenters said that while federal law — the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020 — aimed to phase down high-GWP refrigerants, newly proposed EPA implementation rules would relax some earlier expectations and could leave…