Understanding EU F-Gas Regulation 2024/573: What It Means in 2026

What Is the F-Gas Regulation?

The EU F-Gas Regulation 2024/573 is now the cornerstone EU legislation governing fluorinated greenhouse gases. It was adopted on 7 February 2024, published on 20 February 2024, and entered into force on 11 March 2024, repealing the previous Regulation 517/2014.

It is crucial to separate the EU and Great Britain frameworks. The EU now works under 2024/573 and related implementing acts. Great Britain continues to operate under its own retained F-Gas regime and guidance. A UK qualification is not automatically valid in the EU, so technicians who cross borders need to treat the two systems separately.

The overarching goal remains to drastically cut F-gas emissions through a combination of phase-down quotas, equipment bans, leak prevention obligations, and certification requirements.

The HFC Phase-Down Schedule

The centrepiece of Regulation 2024/573 is the HFC phase-down, which progressively reduces the total quantity of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that can be placed on the EU market. The phase-down is measured in CO2 equivalent tonnes, not in absolute weight, meaning that high-GWP refrigerants consume more quota for the same mass.

The aggressive reduction means that high-GWP refrigerants like R-404A (GWP 3922) and R-507A (GWP 3985) are facing a rapid phase-down. The industry is experiencing a massive shift away from these gases towards lower-GWP alternatives, particularly mildly flammable A2L refrigerants such as R-32 (GWP 675) and R-454B. Other alternatives include R-290 propane (GWP 3), R-744 CO2 (GWP 1), and various HFO blends.

Global Warming Potential (GWP) Limits and Bans

Regulation 2024/573 keeps the older bans in place and adds a broader staged phase-out for new equipment. A few examples that matter in practice:

• Single split air conditioners and heat pumps under 3 kg: fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP 750 or more are banned from 1 January 2025
• Self-contained air-conditioning and heat pumps up to 12 kW: fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP 150 or more are banned from 1 January 2027, and fluorinated greenhouse gases of any kind are generally banned from 1 January 2032 unless a safety exception applies
• Split air-to-water heat pumps and split air-conditioning systems up to 12 kW: fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP 150 or more are banned from 1 January 2027
• Split air-to-air air conditioners and heat pumps up to 12 kW: fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP 150 or more are banned from 1 January 2029

The detail sits in Annex IV, so engineers should always check the exact equipment category rather than rely on memory alone.

Leak Checking Obligations

The regulation imposes mandatory leak checking for equipment containing listed fluorinated gases. For Annex I gases, the familiar thresholds remain:

• 5 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more: leak checks at least every 12 months
• 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more: leak checks at least every 6 months
• 500 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more: leak checks at least every 3 months, with a leak detection system

For Annex II, Section 1 gases, Regulation 2024/573 also introduces mass-based thresholds:

• 1 kg or more: leak checks at least every 12 months
• 10 kg or more: leak checks at least every 6 months
• 100 kg or more: leak checks at least every 3 months, with a leak detection system

Where a leak detection system is fitted, periodic check intervals are doubled. Detected leaks must be repaired without undue delay, and repaired equipment must be rechecked.

Record-Keeping Requirements

Article 7 requires records for equipment subject to leak checks and for certain other in-scope equipment and containers. The records must include:

• The quantity and type of F-gas contained in the equipment
• The quantity of F-gas added during installation, maintenance, or servicing
• The quantity of F-gas recovered during servicing, maintenance, or final disposal
• The identity and certificate details of the company or technician who carried out the work
• The dates and results of all leak checks
• Relevant information identifying the equipment

These records must be kept for at least five years and made available to the competent authority on request.

Certification Requirements

The EU regulation requires appropriately certified personnel, and the detailed minimum requirements sit in implementing acts rather than in a City & Guilds certificate. For Great Britain, qualifications such as City & Guilds 2079 are part of the GB system, not the EU one.

Recovery Obligations

F-gases must be recovered by appropriately certified personnel before the final disposal of equipment and, where necessary, during servicing and maintenance. Recovered F-gases must be recycled, reclaimed, or destroyed. It is illegal to deliberately vent F-gases into the atmosphere.

What This Means for Technicians

For working HVAC and refrigeration technicians, the practical implications of Regulation 2024/573 are significant:

1. You need the right certification for the jurisdiction you work in
2. You must keep detailed records of refrigerant handling activities
3. You must follow the correct leak-check regime for the refrigerant family and charge threshold involved
4. You need to understand the Annex IV ban timetable, especially for smaller split systems and heat pumps
5. You must recover refrigerant before decommissioning equipment
6. You need to treat EU and GB compliance as separate questions, not assume one automatically covers the other

Understanding these regulations is not just exam knowledge — it is the foundation of responsible, legal, and environmentally conscious practice in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry.