EU F-Gas Regulation (Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases)
ENFORCEMENT TIMELINE
In force since March 11, 2024
Overview
This regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/573) is a comprehensive framework for controlling air emissions and refrigerants, part of the European Green Deal's climate strategy, aimed at curbing and reducing emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases: HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and others), which are potent contributors to climate change. It serves as the foundational regulation governing the full lifecycle of refrigerants, air conditioning equipment, and electrical equipment — from manufacturing and placing on the market through use and recovery — and is closely linked with REACH (managing the toxicity of PFAS and alternative refrigerant chemicals), the ESPR (requirements for low-GWP refrigerants in air conditioning equipment), and the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED, controlling air pollutant emissions from manufacturing facilities).
The framework rests on three main pillars. First, a phase-down system that progressively reduces the quantity of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) permitted to be placed on the market, aiming for zero consumption by 2050. Second, use-specific restrictions that impose bans or limits on the use of substitute fluorocarbons based on Global Warming Potential (GWP) thresholds, applied by application — including refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, heat pumps, foam blowing agents, aerosols, and electrical equipment such as SF6-based switchgear. Third, a leak prevention and technician certification regime, covering mandatory periodic leak inspections of F-gas-containing equipment, requirements to install automatic leak detectors, recovery obligations, and a technician certification system.
Enforcement Timeline
February 2024: The European Parliament and Council adopt the new regulation.
March 11, 2024: The new F-Gas Regulation ((EU) 2024/573) formally enters into force.
January 2025: Restrictions on the use of high-GWP refrigerants (GWP of 2,500 or above) are tightened for certain refrigeration and cooling equipment.
Related Regulations / Topics
EU F-Gas Regulation HFC Quota System and Charging Restrictions for Refrigerants
This card focuses on the specific operational practice for the "quota system" and "equipment charge restrictions" for refrigerant HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) under Articles 15 and 16 and related provisions of the EU F-Gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/573). HFCs placed on the EU market (whether in containers or charged into refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pump equipment) are subject to a quota system with an annual cap set on a CO2-equivalent basis, progressively reduced from the 2015 baseline to zero by 2050 (full phase-out). Producers and importers must apply for quota allocations through the F-Gas Portal, with additional application windows offered by June 1, 2024, April 1, 2027, and at least every three years thereafter for businesses that produced HFCs in 2022. Recovered and reclaimed HFCs are not subject to the quota. Imports and exports of HFCs and HFC-containing products and equipment between countries that are not signatories to the Montreal Protocol are prohibited from January 1, 2028.
EU F-Gas Regulation Equipment-Specific Sales Ban Schedule — Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Equipment and SF6 Electrical Equipment
This card focuses on the specific operational practice for the equipment-category-specific new-sale ban schedule under Article 11 and Annex IV of the EU F-Gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/573), covering refrigerant-charged equipment (refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pumps) and SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride)-using electrical switchgear. For refrigeration equipment, the sale of new equipment using refrigerants with a GWP above 150 is, with the exception of chillers, in principle banned from 2030. For air-conditioning and heat pump equipment, the use of refrigerants with a GWP of 150 or higher is banned from January 1, 2027 for split systems and similar equipment of 12 kW or less output, among other category-specific application dates. For electrical switchgear, the installation of new equipment using SF6 and other high-GWP gases is progressively banned by voltage category: from 2026 (up to and including 24 kV), 2028 (above 52 kV up to and including 145 kV), 2030 (above 24 kV up to and including 52 kV), and 2032 (above 52 kV). For servicing of existing switchgear, the use of anything other than recovered or reclaimed SF6 is in principle banned from 2035.
EU F-Gas HFC Quota Reduction Schedule (Full Phase-Out by 2050) and Transition to Alternative Technologies
This card focuses on the specific operational practice for the long-term HFC placing-on-market quota reduction schedule under Annex VII of the EU F-Gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/573), the obligation to reduce HFC production volumes, and the framework supporting the transition to low-GWP and natural refrigerants. The HFC placing-on-market quota is progressively reduced from a 2015 baseline to zero by 2050 (full phase-out). Reduction steps are set for 2025, 2027, 2030, 2033, 2036, 2039, 2042, 2045, and 2048, with the quota reaching a level 96% below the 2015 baseline by 2036. HFC production is also capped, with production rights reduced to 15% of the average production level for 2011–2013 by 2036. The European Commission is scheduled to conduct a review, before 2040, of the continuing need for HFCs in sectors where they are still used.
Business Impact
Manufacturers of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment must move promptly to redesign room air conditioners and commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment away from conventional HFC refrigerants (such as R410A) toward low-GWP refrigerants (such as R32) or natural refrigerants (such as propane, R290).
In the electrical equipment (switchgear) sector, sourcing and developing alternative technologies to SF6 — previously used as an insulator in high-voltage transmission and distribution equipment, such as dry air or new gas mixtures — has become an urgent priority.