Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases

These pages are intended as a guide to stakeholders on Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases (f-gases). On this page you will find a summary of the latest developments, the final text of the f-gas Regulation and the Mobile Air-Conditioning systems in motor vehicles (MAC) Directive, initial Government guidance and minutes of the industry stakeholders meetings. Contact details are provided at the bottom of the page.

Index

Latest Developments
Summary of the Regulation and final text
MAC Directive and final text
Initial Government Guidance
Supplementary Guidance for Stationary Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heat Pump Users
Minutes of f-gas industry stakeholders meetings
Key Contacts

1. Latest Developments

This section summarises key recent developments. More details and links to documents are provided in the sections below.

At the recent f-gas Regulatory Committee meeting on Friday 12th October, the Committee adopted 4 Implementing Decisions on Leakage Checking for stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning & heat pump equipment, Leakage Checking for Fire Protection systems, Labelling and Reporting (for Producers, Exporters & Importers).

Leakage Checking

The leak checking Decision details the procedure that certified personnel should follow when checking for leaks and the methods they should use. It also sets out requirements for repair of leakage. Although we will not know the entry into force date until the Decision is published in the Official Journal - we recommend that personnel follow the requirements of the Decision now, as the requirement to carry out leak checks under article 3 is already in force. The leak checking Decision enables personnel to know what constitutes a satisfactory approach to leak checking.

Stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and Heat Pumps

Adopted proposal for a Commission Regulation on standard leakage checking requirements for stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment containing certain fluorinated greenhouse gases

(83KB)

Fire Protection Systems:

Adopted proposal for a Commission Regulation on standard leakage checking requirements for stationary fire protection systems containing certain fluorinated greenhouse gases

(71KB)

Labelling

The Labelling Decision sets out the requirements of the label, the form of the label and the placing of the label. These requirements only relate to new products being place on the market and therefore do not relate to existing equipment.
The entry into force date for the labelling requirement is 1 April 2008.

Adopted proposal for a Commission Regulation on the form of labels and additional labelling requirements as regards products and equipment containing certain fluorinated greenhouse gases

(73KB)

Reporting for Producers, Exporters & Importers:

The Reporting Decision sets out the format for data to be submitted by Producers, Exporters and Importers each year to the Commission and copied to Defra. The report must be submitted by 31 March of the year following the year for which the report applies. Data for activities conducted in 2007 shall be reported and submitted by 31 March 2008.

Adopted proposal for a Commission Regulation on the format for the report to be submitted by producers, importers and exporters of certain fluorinated greenhouse gases

(1227KB)

Outstanding Decisions on minimum qualifications for training.

The Commission provided a brief update on the situation regarding the minimum qualifications for all the sectors concerned. They confirmed that, following internal consultation on their revised proposals, they have encountered problems with the legal base to their current approach to transitional periods. Whilst the Commission recognise that transitional periods are necessary, these arrangements are complex and vary from sector to sector. At this stage, the Commission are still working on fresh proposals. We will obviously continue to seek further clarification from the Commission regarding transitional arrangements. In the meantime, the Commission confirmed that they intend to provide the relevant revised draft Decisions by mid-November. These documents will be presented by the Commission for implementation at the next Regulatory Committee Meeting scheduled for 7 December.

Public Consultation

The public consultation to invite views on proposed offences and penalties Regulations applicable to Great Britain that carry forward the implementation of EC Regulation 842/2006 on Certain Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases has now closed. Defra will publish a summary of the issues raised in relation to the proposals and the Government response to them.

The final step will be to lay the proposed Regulation before Parliament. If Parliament is content, the Regulation would come in to force three weeks after laying.

BERR, working with other Whitehall departments and the devolved administrations, continues to seek the views of UK industry on implementing the Regulation and would appreciate your comments. If you wish to comment, please e-mail your views to Alan Morgan (alan.morgan@berr.gsi.gov.uk) at the Sustainable Development Unit.

Respondents in Scotland are requested to copy comments to the Scottish Executive’s Climate Change Team climate.change@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

2. Summary of the Regulation and final text

The f-gas Regulation was published on 14 June 2006 in the Official Journal of the European Union and entered into force on 4 July 2006. The key obligations applied with effect from 4 July 2007.

The objectives of the Regulation

The principal objective is to contain, prevent and thereby reduce emissions of f-gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. This Regulation will make a significant contribution towards the European Community's Kyoto Protocol target by introducing cost-effective mitigation measures and to prevent distortion of the internal market.

The main focus is on containment and recovery of f-gases, together with harmonised restrictions on the marketing and use of f-gases in applications where containment of f-gases is difficult to achieve or the use of f-gases is considered inappropriate and suitable alternatives exist.

The sectors affected

The containment and recovery articles in the Regulation will have an impact on the commercial refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump sectors and in the fire protection sector; and for the personnel involved in the installation, servicing and recovery of f-gases from these systems as well as from equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gas based solvents, high voltage switchgear and fire extinguishers. Operators of relevant systems will have a range of obligations including prompt leakage repair, leakage checking and record keeping and ensuring appropriately qualified personnel are used.

However, this Regulation will potentially also have an impact on a wider range of f-gas uses due to the recovery obligation provided for in Article 4.3.

The Regulation will also impact on producers, importers and exporters of f-gases if they produce, import or export more than 1 tonne of f-gases per annum as they will have to report to the Commission and Member States' competent authorities on the amounts produced, imported or exported.

In addition, specified products and equipment that contain f-gases will be subject to labelling requirements and specific uses of f-gases and products that contain f-gases are controlled or banned by the Regulation. These cover certain uses of sulphur hexafluoride for magnesium die-casing, use of certain f-gases in non-refillable containers, fire protection systems, tyres, one component foams, novelty aerosols, footwear and windows and self-chilling cans.

f-gas Regulation (EC) No 842/2006

3. MAC Directive and final text

During negotiations in Council it was agreed that the measures in the Regulation relating to Mobile Air Conditioning systems in motor vehicles (MAC) should form part of a separate Directive amending existing vehicle type approval legislation. The MAC Directive was published on 14 June 2006 in the Official Journal of the European Union and Member States shall adopt and publish by 4 January 2008 the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. Member States shall apply those measures from 5 January 2008.

The MAC Directive sets out measures to minimise emissions of f-gases from air conditioning systems in cars (or car derived vans). This is to be achieved principally through:

· the introduction of maximum leakage rates
· the eventual phase out in MAC use of f-gases with global warming potential greater than 150.

The Department for Transport is responsible for transposing the MAC Directive into UK law. For further information on the MAC Directive, contact Chris Parkin, Tel: 020 7944 2958

MAC Directive 2006/40/EC

4. Initial UK Government Guidance

Key obligations in the Regulation will apply in the UK and the rest of the EU from 4th July 2007. The Government is continuing to work with stakeholders to ensure that the f-gas Regulation is successfully implemented and its environmental objectives achieved. This initial framework guidance is a key part of that work and has been developed in discussion with stakeholder groups. The guidance will be updated as necessary, including in the light of progress of the work of the f-gas Regulatory Committee (see section on article 12). A supplementary document to the initial guidance on frequently asked questions has also been published.

EC regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases - UK Government initial guidance - September 2006

(100KB)

5. Supplementary Guidance for Stationary Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heat Pump Users

This Guidance Note is a supplement to the UK Government Initial Guidance (see above)
on the F-Gas Regulation. In particular this Guidance is intended to:

Help operators of stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment identify whether they use refrigerants affected by the new Regulation.
Help identify how much refrigerant they have in a system. This is important as it affects the way the Regulation will apply.
For those that are affected, to provide an explanation of what actions they need to take to comply and the dates when the new rules come into force.

The supplementary Guidance note is only aimed at stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump users. Other sectors affected by the F-Gas Regulation (e.g. fire protection systems, solvents, foam blowing, aerosols) should refer to the UK Government Initial Guidance above.

EC Regulation no 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases. Supplementary guidance for statutory refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump users.

The Refrigerant charge calculator spreadsheet has been prepared to help estimate the amount of refrigerant in refrigeration or air-conditioning equipment. Making a reasonable estimate of the refrigerant charge in a circuit is necessary in order to understand which of the Regulation's obligations will apply to the operator responsible for that piece of equipment. To use the Refrigerant Charge Calculator you will need to enable the macros. The macro security settings within Excel will need to be set at low or medium.

   Refrigerant Charge Calculator