F-gas legislation

Earth's atmosphere from the ISS, courtesy of NASA

Protecting the atmosphere

Earth’s atmosphere is thin and fragile. Most air conditioning and heat-pump systems contain one or more fluorinated gases (F-gas). These gases are amongst the most potent and longest lasting type of greenhouse gases. Consequently, the UK has strict laws on:

• Who can install and work with F-gas and systems containing F-gas
• The sale of F-gas and equipment containing F-gas

Checkmark strongly supports, and works in accordance with the UK F-gas regulations and guidance . These pages offer only a brief introduction to the topic, but do provide links to further information.

The details

UK law and guidance  is based on EU regulation [517/2014]. Its purpose is to regulate the use of substances that are ozone depleting and/or increase global warming. The regulation grew out of the UK and EU being party to the Montreal protocol and the Kyoto protocols.

Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed in 1987, and entered into force on 1989 (and has had numerous revisions since). It is seen as largely successful, and if adhered to it is believed the hole in the ozone layer will repair itself by 2050. In the UK and Europe CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) based refrigerants are banned.

Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto protocol is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The resultant UK F-Gas regulations aim to reduce the emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases. The regulations are being phased in from 2015 to 2030, with differing dates affecting different system types containing refrigerants with a high Global Warning Potential (GWP).

A full list of the bans are details on the UK government website for both new products  and refilling equipment .

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