The federal government recently set a national target to reduce emissions by 62–70 percent below 2005 levels by 2035. It indicated that one of the focus areas to do so was the built environment.
Now key industry bodies are highlighting the fact that refrigerants – central to modern heating, cooling and ventilation systems – are key to determining the sector’s emissions profile for the coming decades.
In a new discussion paper titled Freeze Frame: Refrigerants as long-term building infrastructure, compiled by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) along with the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH), it was found that more than 62 million refrigerant-dependent devices are now in use across Australia – up 15 percent in just five years – with the sector valued at around $12.7 billion annually, more than double a decade ago.
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems are typically replaced every 15-20 years, meaning refrigerant choices made today will shape emissions and financial risks well into the 2040s.
The systems in use today already contain an estimated 55,000 tonnes of refrigerant, equal to around 100 MtCO₂e if released – roughly a quarter of Australia’s annual emissions.
This refrigerant bank is projected to grow to 80,000 tonnes by 2036. At the same time, modelling shows demand for new refrigerants will outstrip supply, with a threefold shortfall projected by 2036 under the current phase-down.
“Every building relies on refrigerants, yet they’re rarely factored into long-term planning,” GBCA chief impact officer Jorge Chapa says. “If we don’t plan ahead, we risk higher retrofit costs, supply shortages and emissions that could have been avoided. The refrigerant choices we make now will shape building performance for decades to come.”
The Freeze Frame paper outlines opportunities across both new and existing building stock, including:
- Existing buildings – reducing risks by reviewing and registering refrigerants currently in use and planning staged transitions.
- New buildings – designing to minimise reliance on refrigerants through passive design, efficient systems, and forward-looking refrigerant choices.
- Collaboration – scaling supply of lower-impact alternatives, aligning with global phasedowns, and avoiding stranded assets.
- Voluntary action – how voluntary solutions, like Green Star, the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, and industry action, are moving the conversation forward towards lower-harm refrigerants, including ultra-low GWP solutions.
- Policy action – measures that state and federal governments can introduce now to change our current approach to regulating, installing, and replacing refrigeration equipment that is not ready for the future.
The GBCA says the Freeze Frame discussion paper is available now for feedback until 2 April 2026 and invites industry stakeholders to share their views via an online survey.
“With COP31 on the horizon in 2026, Australia has an opportunity to demonstrate its climate leadership, and refrigerants is one area where the property sector can show practical action,” Chapa says.
Read more: FM sector responds to government’s latest emissions targets
