Guidance on purchasing fluorinated gases

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

It has been brought to our attention that there have been a number of companies presenting fraudulent and/or invalid certificates when purchasing fluorinated gases. Under Article 6.3 of EU regulation no 517/2014, it is the duty of companies supplying fluorinated gases to record the company certificate number together with the amounts sold and hold these records for at least 5 years. It is the duty of the record keeper to ensure that the company certificate number supplied is genuine and valid.

Any breach of the EU regulations can result in the Environment Agency issuing an enforcement notice. It is a criminal offence not to comply with an enforcement notice.

Refcom maintain an up to date database of all valid certificates which can be searched using the search facility on the website. Alternatively, companies can contact Refcom directly on 01768 860409 to ensure the validity of any certificate presented to them.

F gases and mobile AC systems

The Environment Agency and DEFRA have confirmed that only F gases for use in mobile AC systems can be sold to non F gas certified people and companies.

Wholesalers and distributors of gas bottles containing fluorinated greenhouse gases covered under regulation EC517/2014 should ensure that they only supply relevant gas to certified people and entities and that they should ensure the F gas certificate they are furnished with is valid and genuine. They can do this via the Refcom database for companies registered through Refcom, and if there is any doubt at all they should call the Refcom helpline on 01768 860409.