F-Gas regulations 2026: what changed for UK businesses

The UK's F-Gas regulations are tightening again from 2026. If you own commercial AC or refrigeration kit, here's what you actually need to know, without the regulatory jargon.

What's changing

The HFC quota system reduces refrigerant availability further, particularly the high-GWP gases (R404A, R410A). R32 (GWP 675, vs R410A's 2088) is now the standard for new commercial AC installs and most retrofits we recommend.

What it means for your existing equipment

Your existing R410A or R404A units are not banned. They will continue to operate. Service costs for these gases will rise as supply tightens, expect 10-20% increases year-on-year through 2027.

What your service contract should cover

• Annual leak test (legally required for systems with 5+ tonnes CO2 equivalent of refrigerant)
• Refrigerant logging, every top-up, every removal, signed off
• F-Gas certified engineer documentation on file
• End-of-life recovery and recycling on disposal

When to replace vs repair

A guideline: if your AC unit uses R410A or older gas and needs more than £600 of repair work, get a quote for R32 replacement before authorising the repair. We routinely see installs where the repair would have been 70% of a new unit cost.

What we do at Be Cool

All our engineers hold F-Gas Category 1 certification. Every unit we install ships with R32 or a lower-GWP refrigerant. Every service contract includes the annual leak test, logging and signed certificates. If you'd like a free check on your existing F-Gas compliance, ring 0203 488 1889.