The F-gas Regulation, in plain language
CertiFlow is built around the administrative obligations in the European F-gas Regulation, and this page sets out what those obligations mean for a contractor.
Not a summary of a summary: every statement carries the article it comes from, and the date we last checked it against the source text.
Last checked: 2026-08-09 · Source: EUR-Lex
This page is still being checked by someone holding an F-gas certificate. Article references are included so you can verify everything yourself; if in doubt, the text of the regulation prevails.
Which regulation applies now?
Since 11 March 2024, (EU) 2024/573 applies. It repealed and replaced (EU) 517/2014. Many documents and courses still cite the old numbering; the obligations below come from the new text.
The regulation applies directly in every member state. In the Netherlands the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate supervises, and certification of companies and individuals runs through designated bodies.
When do I have to carry out a leak check?
The obligation starts at 5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent for the fluorinated greenhouse gases in Annex I — the ordinary HFCs and the blends containing them. For the substances in Annex II Section 1 — the unsaturated HFCs and HCFCs, in practice the pure HFOs — it starts at 1 kilogram.
Frequency depends on the size of the charge. Without a leakage detection system that is at least every twelve, six or three months; with one, the interval may double.
Hermetically sealed equipment labelled as such need not be checked as long as it holds less than 10 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent of Annex I substances or less than 2 kilograms of Annex II substances.
Why are HFOs measured in kilograms and HFCs in CO₂ equivalent?
Because a CO₂-equivalent threshold would never be reached for an HFO. R1234yf has a GWP of 4: you would need more than a tonne of refrigerant in an installation to reach 5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. So the regulation switches to kilograms for those substances.
This is the most commonly made mistake. An installation holding 3 kilos of R1234yf is 0.012 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent — far below five — and is still subject to the obligation, because three kilos is more than one.
What has to be in the logbook?
Per installation you record how much and which fluorinated greenhouse gas it holds, how much was added, how much was recovered, who carried out the work and for which company, plus the dates and results of leak checks.
You keep those records for at least five years. The company carrying out the work keeps a copy of the same records, also for five years.
Can my logbook be digital?
Yes. The regulation does not require paper; it requires what you record and how long you keep it. You do have to be able to produce the records on request, and that is exactly where a digital logbook beats paper: it is not in a van.
Bear in mind that an inspector or auditor may ask to see records on site. Make sure someone who is present can actually reach them — an account for your supervisor is not a luxury.
What does the phase-down mean for my maintenance contracts?
The regulation progressively restricts placing high-GWP equipment on the market and using certain substances for servicing. For existing installations that mainly means availability and prices of some refrigerants rise, and recovered or reclaimed material becomes more important.
The practical consequence for your records: you must be able to show how much you recovered and where it went. That is the same registration as above — it just becomes commercially relevant too.
Leak check frequency in one table
The left column is the charge of the installation, expressed in the unit that applies to that substance.
| Charge | Without leakage detection | With leakage detection |
|---|---|---|
| < 5 t CO₂-eq | — | — |
| 5 – 50 t CO₂-eq | 12 mnd | 24 mnd |
| 50 – 500 t CO₂-eq | 6 mnd | 12 mnd |
| ≥ 500 t CO₂-eq | 3 mnd | 6 mnd |
Watch out with HFOs
Pure HFOs such as R1234yf, R1234ze(E) and R1233zd(E) use kilogram thresholds: from 1 kg every twelve months, from 10 kg every six, from 100 kg every three. Blends containing HFCs — including those sold as "HFO blends", such as R448A or R454B — fall under the CO₂-equivalent thresholds.
Which obligation does CertiFlow cover?
Per obligation: what the product does for you, and what stays with you.
| Which obligation does CertiFlow cover? | CertiFlow |
|---|---|
| Recording quantity and type of refrigerant per installation | Installation card with refrigerant and charge, plus the calculated CO₂ equivalent |
| Recording refrigerant added and recovered | Every operation is a logbook row with quantity, GWP and CO₂ equivalent |
| Recording who carried out the work | The signed-in engineer is recorded automatically on every booking |
| Dates and results of leak checks | A leak check is an operation type in the logbook; the dashboard shows what is overdue |
| Keeping records for five years | Rows cannot be altered or deleted, including by us |
| Producing records on request | Export as CSV or XLSX, free and without limits |
| Still yours to do | Certification of the company and its engineers, calibration of equipment, incident recording |
Start with your three most awkward customers
You do not have to migrate everything to find out whether this works. Put three installations in, have an engineer book a charge, and download the export. 30 days, no credit card, no automatic renewal.