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We use the Refcool 5R Cooling Risk & Resilience Checklist with our clients to review their current
cooling systems, uncover risks, and strengthen operational readiness.
The 5Rs are: Readiness, Resilience, Risk Avoidance, Reputation, Return on Investment.
1. Do you know who to call if your chiller fails — day or night?
2. Do you have a backup or hire-ready chiller identified for each site?
3. Are your current suppliers prepared to deliver with minimal paperwork?
4. Are you clear on your peak load capacity during summer temperatures?
5. Is your procurement process set up for direct award / 72-hour turnaround?
6. Have your engineers or contractors pressure-tested the system this season?
How well can your infrastructure absorb failure, temperature shifts, or demand spikes?
7. Are your chillers optimised for energy use under load?
8. Are you over-relying on a single aging unit with no redundancy?
9. Are you running chillers 24/7 that were only rated for lighter use?
10. Have you scheduled preventative maintenance ahead of summer?
11. Could your plant operate at full spec during a 2-day cooling outage?
12. Do you have a plan for rapid pipework, craning, and commissioning if needed?
What is the potential cost, disruption, or loss if cooling fails?
13. What would 1 hour of chiller failure cost your business?
14. Would stock, patients, equipment, or compliance be affected?
15. Are you protected against utility spikes from low-efficiency units?
16. Would cooling failure trigger insurance claims or loss of contract?
17. Do you know your team’s escalation path for emergency cooling?
18. Have you budgeted for hire cover in your ops or contingency planning?
Are you protected from stakeholder fallout, PR issues, or board-level scrutiny?
19. Are you seen as a proactive or reactive facilities leader?
20. Has your team run a cooling risk review in the last 12 months?
21. Are your facilities aligned with sustainability or refrigerant goals?
22. Do clients, patients, or production partners rely on you staying cool?
23. Could you confidently justify your cooling setup to senior management?
24. Could a cooling outage result in press, social media, or customer backlash?
RETURN On Investment
Efficiency, sustainability, and longterm ROI of your cooling infrastructure
25. Is your uptime consistently above 95% across all sites?
26. How many alarm codes all faults have been triggered in the past year?
27. Have you tracked Pi usage or utility costs over the last 12 months?
28. Have you reviewed maintenance parts spend in the last six months?
29. Are your current chillers running on low GWP refrigerants (e.g.R454b or R513A)?
30. Could your team justify the total cost of ownership (TCO) of current units to the board?
Review with Refcool C.H.I.L.L.E.R Audit call
In over 95% reviews, this audit uncovers hidden risks or cost savings that teams hadn't spotted.
if your checklist exposed gaps blind spots or an answer questions the real risk is leaving them unaddressed.
Every overlooked weakness in your cooling system is a potential outage costs spike or compliance failure waiting to happen.
The CHILLER audit is the fastest way to turn your answer to a clear expert LED action plan before those risks become reality.
C - Contingency: Backup plans an emergency high routes
H - Heat load Ambient process and seasonal temperature demands
I - Infrastructure System design reliability and redundancy
L - Load capacity Real-world headroom under peak conditions
L - Lifecycle Asset age performance trends and maintenance needs
E - Efficiency Energy use, emissions and operating cost
R - Review Overall readiness and business case for improvement
Have you had your answers validated with our experts?
Would a proactive review strengthen your cooling resilience before peak season?
Email jon@refcool.co.uk or call Jon at Refcool on 01489797100
“Cooling Isn’t Optional. It’s Operational.” Jon Keyte, Director of Refcool
