Is Your Business Ready For The Upcoming F-Gas Regulations?

From next year, the way we use F-Gases across the UK and Europe will change. We’ve put together this guide to help you understand what is happening and if it will affect your business.

From 1 January 2020, the use of new (sometimes known as ‘virgin’) F-Gases with a global warming potential (GWP) of 2500 or more will be banned from use.

The higher the GWP of a gas, the more likely it is to contribute to global warming. For example, R404a has a GWP of 3937, which means every 1kg of R404a is equivalent to 3,937kg of CO₂  if released into the atmosphere.

This affects all equipment that uses F-Gases, from air conditioning, cabinet refrigeration, production areas and chiller/freezer cold rooms.

The regulations mean that if your equipment needs fixing or servicing, your engineer will not be able to use these banned virgin F-Gases with them.

The new regulations will apply to the UK, regardless of whether we leave the European Union or not.

Use these gases? They will be banned from January…

Use these gases? You’re still okay to keep using them!

Are there any exemptions?

There are a few exemptions to the regulations.

If you use:

• Low-temperature refrigeration equipment (below –50 °C)
• Equipment for military purposes
• Equipment with a gas charge size less than 40 tonnes of CO₂.
  This can be calculated by finding out the amount of F-Gas the equipment can hold (this will be available in kilograms in the instruction manual) and multiplying it by the GWP of the F-Gas used

Then you are exempt.

The legislation only affects the use of new (or ‘virgin’) F-Gases.

If you use  reclaimed/recycled gases in your systems, you are temporarily exempt from the legislation until 2030.

Reclaimed F-Gases are ones that have been recovered from equipment, sent back to the manufacturer to be re-processed and made available for re-use.

I am going to be affected by this, what do I do?

If you do not comply with the regulations you may be liable for enforcement action, with penalties of up to £200,000.

If you are going to be affected by this regulation change, there are three options:

• Move to use reclaimed gases – these are exempt from the servicing ban until 2030, however as more people move to use them, demand may increase and costs may rise
• Modify your equipment to run on an alternative f-gas
• Replace your equipment. All equipment manufactured after 1 January 2020 will be developed to run on alternative f-gas. This may be the most cost-effective solution if your equipment is nearing the end of its life or is starting to leak

The Government has an Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme that allows businesses to benefit from tax breaks when investing in energy-efficient equipment: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enhanced-capital-allowance-scheme-for-energy-saving-technologies

What is Aircon Group doing about the upcoming legislation?

If you are an Aircon Group customer, you can rest safe in the knowledge that you are prepared for the upcoming legislative changes.

Ever since we were made aware of the changes in legislation in 2016, we’ve been moving to use refrigerants that are more environmentally friendly. For example, we’ve been using R448a (with a GWP of 1387) instead of R404a (GWP of 3937) to ensure that our customers are not affected by the ban and can continue to grow their business.

We’re also future-proofing for upcoming legislation too. For example, there will be additional changes to legislation in 2022 when GWP levels will be further reduced, and we are making our customers aware if changes need to be made. We’ll make more information about this available on our blog soon.

If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming f-gas regulations and how they could affect your business, please contact us for support and advice at sales@aircongroup.com.