The Nexus of Energy and Refrigerants

Never has it been so important to understand refrigeration principals and refrigerant options. Policymakers have made it clear that the following decades will focus on reducing CO2 emissions from buildings through electrification as one of the key paths to mitigate climate change. Decarbonization in buildings will require increased reliance on heat pumps and better understanding of how to maximize their benefits. Meanwhile, elimination of F-gas refrigerants means that we also need to carefully consider our upcoming refrigerant choices. The speaker will discuss the trade offs of refrigerant options in the commercial retail sector and the results of a recent study and what it says about what changes are needed to broaden the use of low GWP options.

Presenter: Jim Kelsey, PE, LEED AP, Founding Principal of kW Engineering

Bio: 

Jim Kelsey founded kW Engineering in 1998, was the lead author of the book that defines energy audits, ASHRAE’s Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits, and chaired the development of the audit standard, Standard 211. Jim specializes in refrigeration systems and the transition to natural refrigerants. He recently completed a study on low-GWP technologies with SCE which investigated modeling tools and market conditions in the grocer sector and found that current system conversions would need to double to meet California reduction goals. Jim also performed two Low-GWP market research studies for IOUs. He conducted energy analyses for hundreds of projects, and taught extensively on energy audits, HVAC and refrigeration for PG&E, ASHRAE and others.