F-Gas Regulations


EU Legislation, F-Gas Regulation 842/2006, came into force in July 2007.
Below is a summary of the Regulation which details the responsibilities it imposes on us as the supplier and the end user.

F-gases (fluorinated gases) are global warming gases which have come under the spotlight of the EC's Kyoto Protocol targets. The basic objective of the new legislation is to reduce emissions of these global warming gases from air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. F-gases include all HFC Refrigerants, including R134a, R407c, R410a and R404a.
The main points of the new law include:

  • Regular leakage checks and prevention
  • Refrigerant records
  • Equipment labelling

Leakage Checking / Repair

End users will be required to use all available measures to prevent leakage of F-gases and to repair any detected leakage (as soon as possible); a system found to have a leak must be switched off immediately and not used until the problem has been rectified. Any repair must be re-checked for leakage within one month. The Regulation also provides a timetable for leak testing equipment and systems with a charge of 3kg or more:

  • At least once a year for applications containing 3kg or more of F-gases (this does not apply to hermetically sealed systems containing less than 6kg).
  • At least once every six months for applications containing 30kg or more of F-gases.
  • At least once every three months for applications containing 300kg or more of F-gases. In addition, these systems will be required to have permanent leak detection systems installed.


Record Keeping & Responsibilities

End users must keep records on the quantity and type of refrigerant installed, any quantities added or recovered during maintenance and servicing. They will also need to keep records of other relevant information, including the identification of the company that performed the service or maintenance, as well as the dates and results of the leak check.

Equipment Labelling

All products and equipment containing F-gases must be labelled with the type of the refrigerant and quantity.

Fines

The EC is allowing each member state to set the level of fines and sanctions for infringements of the Regulations, but states that they should be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The UK Government is expected to consult with stakeholders on the level of penalties.

Full details of Regulation No. 842/2006 can be downloaded from www.defra.gov.uk.

How does this affect you?

If you are a current customer with a maintenance agreement in place with us, then you need not worry. We handle all of the Regulation requirements on your behalf and supply you with a folder which holds any certification for refrigerants and we will keep you informed with any updates and changes to the law and how this affects you. If however, you have any questions or wish to discuss the F-Gas Regulations further, please contact our office where one of our team will be happy to help.

For new installations, we only use major suppliers for equipment and our qualified engineers have the training in place so that all the Regulations are covered. Upon completion of an installation we provide a commissioning certificate detailing the volume of refrigerant in the system. However, the Regulations do mean that a maintenance contract should then be taken up to cover you for future use of a system.

If you are not a maintenance customer then feel free to contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions and provide our quotation so that an agreement can be put into place.

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