Prepare for new bans on F-gases

Details of 2022 bans on certain types of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in refrigeration equipment

New bans in Northern Ireland legislation are due to come into force on 1 January 2022. These may affect businesses if they use commercial refrigeration equipment.

The bans will apply to businesses that place on the market the following two categories of refrigeration equipment containing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs, a type of F-gas):

• new refrigerators and freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed equipment) that contain HFCs with global warming potential (GWP) of 150 or more
• new multipack centralised refrigeration systems for commercial use with a rated cooling capacity of 40 kW or more that contain, or whose functioning relies upon, fluorinated greenhouse gases with GWP of 150 or more, except in the primary refrigerant circuit of cascade systems where fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of less than 1,500 may be used

The aim of the bans is to limit NI's emissions of these types of F-gas, which have a very high GWP, and can exacerbate the effects of climate change.

Businesses that do not comply with the 2022 bans will be breaking the law and will be liable for enforcement action.

Find more detailed information on the 2022 F-gas bans.

First published 22 November 2021