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  • Q&A: F-gas Regulation business guidance – 2020 service ban
  • Q&A: F-gas Regulation business guidance – 2020 service ban

Q&A: F-gas Regulation business guidance – 2020 service ban

The European Union Regulation (517/2014) on fluorinated greenhouse gases will be retained in UK law after we leave the EU.
This means all the requirements of the EU F-gas Regulation, including the service ban, will continue to apply in the UK in any EU exit scenario.

This particular ban applies to these HFCs as these are some of the most harmful global warming gases and are widespread in their use. However the ban is part of a range of measures to reduce the use of HFCs in general and combat climate change.

Other measures include the phase down in total use of HFCs by 79% by 2030, along with other bans and restrictions that prevent the use of HFCs and other F gases with high global warming potential from being used.

For information on all the bans, refer to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bans-on-f-gas-in-new-equipment

Hermetically sealed systems are ones that have been factory-assembled and only contain permanent connections that are welded or brazed together to seal the system. Examples include most types of equipment that are of the "plug-in" type such as domestic fridges and freezers or units like an ice- cream freezer.

Your refrigeration system should be labelled to say what refrigerant is in it and its charge size. You could also refer to the instruction manual or technical specification to get the charge size. If in doubt, contact the supplier, manufacturer or an F gas certified engineer. Once you know the charge size, multiply it by the GWP of the Fgas used in the system to work out the charge in CO2 equivalents.

For more information see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/calculate-the-carbon-dioxide-equivalent-quantity-of-an-f-gas.

No, you can carry on using it. However if it needs fixing or servicing, your engineer won’t be able to use banned gas to service or repair it therefore you need to be prepared for if that happens. The options available are listed in the leaflet, Refrigeration and freezer equipment: Changes to refrigerant gases that can be used.