F-Gas Regulations Explained (UK)

F-Gas regulations govern the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases, the refrigerants that make air conditioning and refrigeration work. These gases are highly effective at moving heat, but if released into the atmosphere they have a powerful warming effect, far greater than carbon dioxide gram for gram.

The rules exist to phase down the most harmful refrigerants, prevent leaks, and make sure gases are recovered properly at the end of a system's life rather than vented. They apply to almost every air conditioning system because nearly all of them contain F-Gas refrigerant. If you are choosing a system, our system types guide and brands page explain which refrigerants modern units use.

This is the part that matters most for you as a customer. Under the regulations, any business that installs, services, repairs or decommissions equipment containing F-Gas must hold the appropriate certification, and individual engineers must hold a personal F-Gas qualification.

In the UK, companies demonstrate this by registering with a recognised certification body such as REFCOM. It is not a nice-to-have badge; it is a legal requirement. Using an uncertified installer can invalidate warranties, breach the regulations, and risk a poor or unsafe installation. Tempest Air Conditioning is F-Gas and REFCOM registered, which is why we are able to handle refrigerant legally and properly on every installation and repair. You can read more on our compliance page.

Day to day, F-Gas compliance shows up in several ways:

• Leak checks: systems above a certain refrigerant charge must be checked for leaks at set intervals, with the frequency rising with the size of the charge.
• Record keeping: records of refrigerant added, recovered and leak-checked must be kept for systems over the threshold.
• Recovery, not venting: refrigerant must be recovered by a certified engineer when a system is repaired or removed, never released to the air.
• Approved refrigerants: newer systems use lower-impact refrigerants as higher-warming gases are phased down.

Our servicing and maintenance visits build these obligations in, so your system stays both efficient and compliant.

F-Gas is not the only rule that may apply to your system. Larger commercial air conditioning, broadly systems with an effective rated output over 12kW, also falls under TM44 air conditioning inspections, which are a separate legal requirement carried out every five years.

The two are easy to confuse: F-Gas is about handling refrigerant safely, while TM44 is about assessing energy efficiency. Both can apply to the same building. If you run a commercial site, our commercial air conditioning team can advise on how the obligations fit together so nothing is missed.

For a homeowner, the simplest takeaway is this: always use an F-Gas certified, REFCOM-registered installer, and keep your system serviced. For a business, add proper record keeping and, where it applies, a TM44 inspection on the five-year cycle.

If you are unsure whether your system is compliant, or you have inherited a system with no service history, we can carry out a check and bring it up to standard. Customers across Surrey, including Guildford and Woking, rely on us to keep things both legal and running well, and you can see our wider service area here.