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Banned F-gases

There are two primary bans related to the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS). These measures are crucial for reducing environmental impact and combating climate change.

  1. 2020 Ban on High-GWP F-gases: This ban prohibits the use of virgin F-gases with a global warming potential (GWP) of 2500 or above for servicing or maintaining existing refrigeration equipment with a charge size of 40 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more.
  2. General Ban on ODS: The use of ozone-depleting substances, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), is mostly banned in the UK. This includes substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl bromide.

The bans do not apply to:

  • Equipment used for military purposes.
  • Equipment used to cool products below -50°C.
  • Small air conditioning / refrigeration units (with a charge size of 40 tonnes or less of CO2 equivalent).

Regulations

These bans are enforced through various regulations, including:

  1. Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/310)
  2. Ozone-Depleting Substances Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/168)

These regulations were amended via the Ozone-Depleting Substances and Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 and continue to function following EU Exit.

Our role

SEPA and Scottish local authorities are working with Scottish suppliers of F-gases and equipment, as well as companies that maintain F-gas refrigeration products, to monitor compliance.

SEPA can use Enforcement notices to bring about compliance and can issue significant civil penalties (up to £200,000), for non-compliance, so it is important that you understand the F-gas obligations for your business.

You are likely to be affected by the ban if you are:

  • A small to medium-sized retail outlet with mid to small-sized fridges.
  • A large supermarket.
  • A user of refrigeration units that contain F-gases or ODS.

Complying with the ban

The ban will apply to many commonly used refrigeration or freezer systems currently in use by businesses across Scotland. The types of units affected by the ban include, but are not limited to:

  • Small hermetically sealed systems. Examples include ice-cream freezers, bottle coolers, stand-alone retail displays that typically contain between 0.1 and 0.5kg of refrigerant.
  • Condensing units. Examples include commercial display cabinets, blast chillers and freezers used in small shops, convenience stores and food service. These are medium sized systems with one or two refrigerated display units cooled by a condensing unit typically containing between 2 and 10kg of refrigerant.
  • Central pack systems. Used in supermarkets and other large stores. They typically contain more than 100kg of refrigerant.

You can check which category your system falls into and which refrigerant it uses with your refrigeration manufacturer or certified maintenance technician.

Your refrigeration equipment might already use F-gas that is below the threshold. If so, you can continue to top up your fridges or freezers as usual, with no changes required. However, if your fridges or freezers contain an F-gas with a high global warming potential and you are affected by the ban, you have several options:

  1. Top up with recycled or reclaimed F-gas of the same type: Be aware that supplies of recycled or reclaimed F-gas may decrease over time. This option is only available until 2030.
  2. Top up with a less harmful F-gas: If your equipment allows, you can switch to a less harmful F-gas. You can speak to your refrigerant provider about this.
  3. Upgrade your equipment: Consider upgrading your equipment to allow it to use a less harmful F-gas.
  4. Purchase new equipment: Think about buying new equipment that complies with the ban and uses F-gases with lower global warming potential.
    The Scottish Government SME Loan Scheme is available for the installation of energy efficient measures including refrigeration. For more information, and to determine if you are eligible, visit Resource Efficient Scotland.

Further information and guidance

Full details of the ban and useful guidance if you believe that this ban may affect your business, are available on Gov.UK:

Further information is also available on our question and answer webpage, F-gas Regulation business guidance – 2020 service ban.

We recommend that you also visit NetRegs where you’ll find further information and a self-assessment tool to enable you to check if the ban will affect your business.