3 measures that work together. The first is reducing cooling demand beforehand: external solar protection (external venetian blinds), a ceiling fan, night-time free cooling, a 26 °C setpoint instead of 24 °C. In a standard office, this combination divides demand by 2 to 4. The second is choosing a low-GWP refrigerant, ideally R290 (propane, GWP of 0.02 under the regulation): in France, where leaks contribute around 2 times more than electricity, it removes around 2 thirds of the use-phase footprint compared with R32. The third is maintenance: an annual leak check by a certified refrigeration engineer can divide the leak rate by 2 (from 5% to 2.5% a year) and improves actual SEER by 10 to 15%.
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