Key Dates

9^{th April 2007}

GB ODS Qualifications Regulations 2006 No1510 require anyone handling ODS refrigerants in stationary equipment to hold either City and Guilds 2078 or CITB equivalent.

4^{thJuly 2007}

Under EU F gas Regulation No 842/2006 operators of stationary refrigerating equipment now have to:

Prevent leakage - have leaks repaired as soon as possible by certified personnel and keep service and maintenance records detailing quantity and type of F gas used.
Carry out a regular fixed schedule of inspections for leaks for equipment with a circuit charge of 3kg or more following a standard leak checking and procedure laid down by the Commission (can be downloaded at http://www.berr.gov.uk/sectors/sustainability/fgases/page28889.html) . This includes an obligation to check repairs made.
Where systems have a charge of over 300kg they must in addition install fixed leakage detection systems.
Ensure the proper recovery of F Gases by certified personnel, to ensure their recycling, reclamation or destruction

Additionally it should be noted that the placing on the market of non refillable containers of F gases has now been banned. Containers already placed on the market at that date can still be sold.

15th February 2008

GB Regulations (SI 2008 No. 41) are now in force naming the interim qualifications for working with stationary refrigeration/air conditioning equipment containing 3kgs or more of F gases as City and Guilds 2078 and CITB equivalent .

1^{st April 2008}

·New Products and new field assembled systems containing HFC have to be appropriately labeled when they are first placed on the market. Instructions regarding the label format can be downloaded at http://www.berr.gov.uk/sectors/sustainability/fgases/page28889.html)

Between now and July 2011

UK Government will need to establish personnel and company certification programmes to meet the new EU requirements as agreed in December 2007 by the Commission.
A consultation on proposed GB Regulations will be issued by Government in early summer of 2008 specifying minimum requirements for personnel and companies. For existing workers, this is likely to take the form of an update qualification based on revised City and Guilds and CITB refrigerant handling assessments. This qualification is currently under development by ACRIB and should be available from July 2008.
Personnel holding an existing 2078/CITB certificate are likely to be “deemed to be certified” under the Regulation until they have achieved the updated national qualification.

4^{th July 2009}

·Only companies with certified personnel can take delivery of refrigerants covered by the FGas Regulation.

1^{st January 2010}

·Under the EC (ODS) Regulation 2037/2000 - No virgin HCFC can be supplied or used for servicing existing equipment

4^th July 2011

Personnel carrying out service, maintenance, recovery or leak checking on stationary refrigeration equipment containing refrigerants covered by the F Gas Regulation must have obtained one of the updated national qualifications.

1^{st January 2015}

·Under the EC (ODS) Regulation 2037/2000 - No recycled or recovered HCFC can be supplied or used to service existing equipment. This date is currently under review by the European Commission and may be brought forward to 2012 for industrial process refrigeration.

Do you have more questions about the Regulations?

www.acrib.org.uk

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board is an umbrella body for trade bodies and professional associations in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. It has been helping UK government with technical aspects of the regulation and promoting requirements within the industry. The ACRIB website contains links to the Government Department sites (DEFRA and BERR) where you can see the full text of the regulation and download detailed guidance.

DEFRA F Gas Support

UK Government have set up a helpline to deal with individual queries about the F Gas Regulations and to provide a central resource for information, particularly for end users but also for anyone else affected by the F Gas or ODS Regulations. The following contact points are now in operation:

Telephone Helpline: 0161 874 3663

Email: Fgas-support@enviros.com

Website: www.defra.gov.uk/fgas

Address: F-gas support, PO Box 481, Salford, M50 3UD