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F Gas decisions in Europe, what will this mean for the UK?
UK industry continues to follow the EU revision process as it provides an indication of how GB legislation might be amended when proposal are released by DEFRA later in 2023. In March 2023 the European Parliament Environment Committee (ENVI) adopted proposed revisions to existing regulations which introduce far-reaching restrictions. This decision now has to go through the full European Parliament and negotiations with Council so is not yet finalised.
Industry group AREA which represents national contractor associations has welcomed the revisions to training elements "We are pleased to see that the proposal to extend the current F-Gas training and certification scheme to alternative refrigerants, for which AREA has been advocating for, has been adopted with broad support. Training and certification will be required to avoid accidents, injury and fatalities involving systems with alternative greenhouse gas refrigerant systems…We also regret that the importance of extending periodical inspections and leak checks to prevent safety risks on technicians, personnel and end-users has not been recognised.” But European Industry groups such as EPEE have issued warnings that some of the restrictions proposed such as the ban on use of F Gases from 2026 in some heat pump and split air conditioning and steep phase-down timetable will have a negative effect on the use of efficient heat pumps in homes as well as shorten the lifetime of currently installed equipment by limiting the ability for maintenance and repair.
Guidance on current F Gas Regulation requirements that apply within GB are available at:
The March 2023 statement from the EU on the revision process is available at:
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board member organisations
