What are F-Gas regulations?
F-Gas regulations (formally the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations) control the use, recovery and handling of fluorinated gases — including the refrigerants used in air conditioning systems. In the UK, these are enforced by the Environment Agency and apply to anyone who installs, services, repairs or decommissions equipment containing F-Gas refrigerants.
Why do they exist?
Refrigerants such as R410A, R32 and R22 are potent greenhouse gases. Releasing them into the atmosphere — even in small quantities — has a significant environmental impact. F-Gas regulations exist to prevent refrigerant leaks, ensure proper recovery when systems are decommissioned and phase down the use of the most potent gases over time.
What does F-Gas certification mean?
Any engineer who handles refrigerants — including topping up systems, checking for leaks or decommissioning equipment — must hold a relevant F-Gas qualification (typically Category 1 for full system work). It is illegal in the UK for an uncertified person to handle refrigerants, and any installation or servicing carried out by an uncertified engineer is non-compliant.
What does this mean for you as a property owner?
- Always check certification: Before hiring any engineer to install or service an air conditioning system, confirm they hold a valid F-Gas certificate. Ask to see it, or check on the REFCOM or ACRIB register.
- Keep service records: For systems containing more than a threshold quantity of refrigerant, UK regulations require records to be kept of service visits, leak checks and refrigerant additions. Your engineer should provide these.
- Leak checks: Systems with significant refrigerant charges require mandatory leak checks at specified intervals (3 months for the largest systems, 12 months for smaller ones).
Refrigerant phase-down
The UK is progressively phasing down the use of high-GWP refrigerants. R410A (widely used in systems installed before 2020) is being replaced by lower-GWP alternatives such as R32. If your system uses R410A and needs a gas recharge, an F-Gas certified engineer can advise on options.
All engineers on our network are F-Gas certified
When you use our free quote service, you will only receive quotes from engineers who hold the appropriate F-Gas certification. Get free quotes from vetted local air conditioning engineers here.