The European F-gas Regulation 517/2014 aims to reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases through two strategies: preventing leakage and emissions, and avoiding the use of F-gases. It defines rules around leakage prevention, training and certification requirements, bans on certain refrigerants, phase down of HFC supply quotas, and implications for the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. The regulation requires leak checks be based on refrigerant quantities in CO2-equivalent amounts and introduces bans on high-GWP refrigerants for certain applications from 2020 onward. It also establishes an HFC phase down schedule from 2015-2030 that will lower the maximum quantities available each year.

1. Marco Buoni
VicePresident, AREA
Air Conditioning & Refrigeration European contractors’ Association
(www.area-eur.be)
Secretary General Italian Association of Refrigeration Technician, ATF
(www.associazioneATF.org)
European F-gas Regulation 517/2014
implications for the refrigeration and
air conditioning sector
Milano
18th
March 2016

2. Prevent leakage and emissions
•Emission prevention and leak checks
•Control of by-production
•End of life treatment of products and equipment
•Training and qualification
•Information for users (labelling, product infos)
Avoid the use of F-gases
•Training and qualification on alternative refrigerants
and technologies
•Ban on new applications
•Ban on uses
•Phase-down of HFC supply (quotas)
EU Revision of Fgas regulation (2014/517/EC)
Two strategies to reduce emissions

3. Main points of 517/2015
• Definitions Article 2
– Fluorinated greenhouse gases
– “recovery”, “recycling” and “reclamation”
• Leakage prevention and treatment Articles 4 and 5
– refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers (NEW)
– Leak checks based on CO2-equivalent quantities of fluorinated
greenhouse gases
• Training & certification Article 10
• Bans Article 11 + Annex III
• Delivery of f-gases Article 11(4) + Article 6(3) and (4)
• Service ban Article 13(3)
• Phase-down of HFCs Articles 15-18 + Annexes V and VI

4. Everything based on ton eq. of CO2 (art. 4-5
•Threshold
Leak checks based on CO2-equivalent quantities of fluorinated greenhouse gases
The new Regulation replaces thresholds expressed weight of fluorinated greenhouse gases by
thresholds expressed in tonnes of CO2-equivalent quantities. Article 2, §7 defines ‘tonnes of CO2-
eq as “a quantity of greenhouse gases expressed as the product of the weight of the greenhouse
gases in metric tonnes and their global warming potential”.
Refrigerant GWP
5 tonnes CO2-eq
(kg)
50 tonnes CO2-
eq (kg)
500 tonnes CO2-
eq (kg)
R32 675 7.4 74 740.7
R134a 1430 3.5 34.96 349.6
R245fa 1030 4.85 48.5 485
R404a 3922 1.27* 12.7 127
R407A 2107 2.37* 23.7 237
R407C 1774 2.8* 28 281.8
R407F 1850 2.7* 27 270
R410A 2088 2.39* 23.9 239
R422D 2729 1.8* 18.3 183
R437A 2550 1.96* 19.6 196
R507A 3985 1.25* 12.5 125
R1234yf 4 1,250 12,500 125,000
R1234ze 7 714 7,142.8 71,428
Equivalence: refrigerant quantity

5. Summary of certification requirements
Installation,
servicing,
maintenance
Repair Decommissioning
Leakage
checking
Recovery
Stationary
RACHP
equipment
Refrigerated
trucks & trailers
A/C in road
vehicles
Directive
2006/40
(1)
A/C in road
vehicles
Directive
2006/40
(2)
Company Natural person
(1) Personnel must be appropriately qualified, i.e. hold at least a training attestation
(2) Personnel must be appropriately qualified, no formal training attestation required
Training and Certification (art. 10)

6. 8. Member States shall ensure that all natural persons
holding certificates under certification programmes
provided for in paragraphs 1 and 7 have access to
information regarding each of the following:
(a) technologies referred to point (e) of paragraph 3
9. Member States shall ensure the availability of training
for natural persons who wish to update their knowledge in
relation to the matters referred to in paragraph 3
EU project «Real Alternatives» to
to comply to 517/14 Article 10
Training and Certification
www.realalternatives.eu
Training and Certification (2) (art. 10)

7. Bans included in F-Gas Regulation (art. 11 )

8. The first ban is the much-touted service and maintenance ban
on high-GWP refrigerants (ex. R404, R507) over 2500 GWP,
which come in 2020
Reclaimed and Rigenerated up to 2030
Service ban (art. 13)

9.  Established undertakings will receive a quota corresponding to 89% of its
reference value.
 Remaining 11% allocated
for new undertakings.
 Violation of quota will be
punished by 200% of
exceeded volume.
 From 1/1 2017 will
volumes from pre charged equipment be included in the quota,
corresponding to approx. 11% of total volume.
Year Percentage CO2 eq
Q1 Q2
2015 100 2250 89 89
2016 93 2093 83 83
2017 93 2093 83 74
2018-20 63 1418 56 50
2021-23 45 1013 40 36
2024-26 31 698 28 25
2027-29 24 540 21 19
2030 21 473 19 17
Supplier quota
Phase down of HFCs (art. 15)
Year Percentage CO2 eq
2015 100 2250
2016 93 2093
2017 93 2093
2018-20 63 1418
2021-23 45 1013
2024-26 31 698
2027-29 24 540
2030 21 473

10. Possible Implications for service (art. 11+13+15)
•Lack of some type of refrigerants especially the high GWP ones
(R404a, R507)
•Increase in prices of HFCs refrigerants
•Importance of recovery and recycling
•Selling equipment containing High GWP refrigerant which will
be phase down with consequences on the ordinary
maintenance and repairing, warranty

11. Contractors’ training with low GWP
refrigerants: mind the gap!
The use of HFCs is legislatively
decreased and consequently the use
of natural and alternative refrigerants
(flammable, toxic and high pressures)
is pushed, there will be a gap between
training offer and training needs
resulting in a shortage of trained
contractors
Solution could be starting from the F-Gas certification of
personnel adding modules for natural refrigerants

12. Pros / Cons refrigerants
Every refrigerant has his own application

13. no refrigerant
represents the ideal
solution in all cases and
for every equipment –
each cooling application
has to be looked at in its
own merits and a
professional choice must
be made taking into
account many more
factors than simply GWP
Applications Refrigerant
Industrial Refrigeration HFO 1234ze (?)*
All kind of Industrial Ref. Ammonia
Cascade systems Carbon Dioxide + Ammonia
Secondary fluids Carbon Dioxide
Commercial Refrigeration HFO 1234ze*
Cabinets Hydrocarbons
Bottle coolers Hydrocarbons
Supermarkets Carbon Dioxide
Domestic Refrigeration
freezers Hydrocarbons
Air Conditioning R32
Heat Pumps Hot Water Carbon Dioxide Trans-critical
Large Chillers Ammonia
Small Monobloc Air Conditioning Hydrocarbons
Automotive HFO 1234yf
Some Applications of
low GWP alternative refrigerants
From AREA
guidance on LOW
GWP refrigerants
*more applications for
HFOs and HFO blends will
probably be developed
with full commercialisation
of the refrigerants

14. Where can I find information?
AREA
info@area-eur.be | www.area-eur.be

15. Conclusion: Important messages to
contractors and end users
1. The new F-Gas Regulation is a good decision.
2. Make sure existing systems are tight and well maintained.
3. Make no new installations with high-GWP refrigerants (i.e. R404A
or R507)
4. Investigate if systems need to be leak checked or if the interval
have changed
5. End users with high-GWP refrigerant systems should already now
plan for a replacement.
6. Knowledge is key – skill will always pay off.

16. THANK YOU!
Email: buoni@centrogalileo.it
Marco Buoni
VicePresident, AREA Air Conditioning & Refrigeration European contractors’ Association (www.area-eur.be)
Secretary General Italian Association of Refrigeration Technician, ATF (www.associazioneATF.org)