F-gas leak checks for chillers, refrigeration and heat pumps: who checks, how often, and what changed in 2026

Chillers, cold rooms, supermarket refrigeration, building air-conditioning and heat pumps holding 5 t CO2e or more of HFCs must be leak-checked by a certified technician at least every 12, 6 or 3 months, depending on the charge. The operator keeps a record of every check. On 23 July 2026 the EU repealed Regulation (EC) No 1516/2007, the text that described how a stationary leak check is done, without replacing it, so the duty to check remains while the method is no longer set in EU law.

This article covers the EU rules under Regulation (EU) 2024/573 for stationary equipment: which units are in scope, how often to check, who may check, what a thorough check still looks like, and the 2026 and 2027 dates that affect chillers, AC and heat pumps. Great Britain runs on different rules, covered in its own section below.

Which stationary equipment needs F-gas leak checks?

Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 lists the stationary equipment in scope: refrigeration, air-conditioning, heat pumps, fire protection, organic Rankine cycles and electrical switchgear. In practice that means chillers, cold stores and cold rooms, supermarket and food-processing refrigeration, rooftop and split AC systems in offices and shops, and commercial heat pumps.

Article 5(1) sets the trigger. A unit needs leak checks when it holds 5 t CO2e or more of Annex I gases (the HFCs), or 1 kg or more of Annex II Section 1 gases (mostly HFOs), other than in foams. Exemptions apply to hermetically sealed equipment labeled as such:

• Below 10 t CO2e of Annex I gases, or below 2 kg of Annex II gases.
• In residential buildings, below 3 kg of F-gas, as long as the unit is labeled as hermetically sealed.

To convert a charge to t CO2e, multiply the kilograms by the gas’s global warming potential (GWP) and divide by 1,000. Under Annex I, HFC-134a (R-134a) has a GWP of 1,430, so 5 t CO2e is about 3.5 kg of R-134a. HFC-32 (R-32), common in newer split AC and heat pumps, has a GWP of 675, so its 5 t CO2e threshold is about 7.4 kg. Read the charge off the nameplate and do the sum for each unit. Blends are calculated from their components, so take the CO2e figure from the label rather than an old GWP table.

How often must chillers and refrigeration be leak-checked?

Article 5(6) sets minimum intervals by charge. Each tier is “at least every”, and the longer interval applies when a leak detection system is fitted:

• Under 50 t CO2e (or under 10 kg of Annex II gases): every 12 months, or 24 months with a leak detection system.
• 50 to under 500 t CO2e (or 10 to under 100 kg): every 6 months, or 12 months with a leak detection system.
• 500 t CO2e or more (or 100 kg or more): every 3 months, or 6 months with a leak detection system.

A worked example: a chiller holding 100 kg of R-134a carries 143 t CO2e, so it needs a check at least every 6 months. A large chiller or a supermarket pack holding 350 kg of R-134a reaches 500 t CO2e. At that size, Article 6(1) makes a leak detection system mandatory for refrigeration, AC, heat pumps and fire protection. The system must alert the operator or a service company to any leak, and it must itself be checked at least once every 12 months (Article 6(3)). It lengthens the interval between checks, and the checks still happen.

Who may carry out a stationary leak check?

A certified person. For stationary refrigeration, AC, heat pumps, fire protection and organic Rankine cycles, Article 5(3) requires the checks to be carried out by natural persons certified under Article 10. Company certification under Article 10(2) covers installation, servicing, repair and decommissioning; it does not cover leak checks, which stay with the individual. If you hire a service company, Article 10(12) requires you to verify first that it holds the certificates the work needs.

The certificate categories changed in 2024. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215, in force since 29 September 2024, replaced the old Category I to IV system for stationary refrigeration, AC and heat pumps:

• A1: all activities, including leak checks, for F-gases and hydrocarbons.
• A2: the same activities on smaller charges: under 3 kg, or under 6 kg if hermetically sealed and labeled.
• B and C: all activities for CO2 and for ammonia systems.
• D: recovery only, on smaller charges.
• E: leak checks only, provided the check does not involve breaking into the refrigeration circuit. Former Category IV holders map to E.

Under Article 10(9), Member States must require certified persons to take refresher training or an evaluation at least every seven years, with that regime in place by 12 March 2027. Holders of certificates issued under the old Regulation 517/2014 must complete their first refresher by 12 March 2029. Keep a copy of each technician’s certificate number on file. It goes into the record of every check they do.

How is a leak check done now that 1516/2007 is repealed?

For almost twenty years, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1516/2007 set out the standard procedure for stationary refrigeration, AC and heat pumps. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1444 of 2 July 2026 repealed it with effect from 23 July 2026, “without being replaced”. Its recitals say the methodology no longer reflected current technology and had been overtaken by up-to-date leak checking methods used across the Union.

Regulation 2024/573 itself does not prescribe a method or list the parts to check. Article 5(8) lets the Commission set such rules by implementing act, and it has not done so. What remains is the duty to check at the required interval, the general duty in Article 4(3) to take all technically and economically feasible measures to minimize leakage, and the record of each check.

The method is still taught. The exam content in Annex I of Implementing Regulation 2024/2215, which certified technicians are assessed on, still covers it: potential leak points, reviewing the equipment records before a check, visual and manual inspection of the whole system, indirect and direct methods, the use of an electronic leak detector, and filling in the records. In practice, a thorough check still follows the same steps:

1. Read the records first. Look for repeat leaks, recurring refills and parts that have failed before.
2. Inspect the whole system visually and by hand, with attention to joints, valves and valve stems, seals (including on replaceable driers and filters), parts exposed to vibration, and connections to safety and operating devices.
3. Use an indirect method where the unit’s data is reliable: pressures, temperatures, compressor current, liquid levels or refill volumes, compared against normal values. Oil traces, corrosion, frost, unusual noise or vibration, or poor cooling are signs of a possible leak.
4. Confirm with a direct method whenever a leak is suspected: an electronic detector suited to the refrigerant, or a bubble solution at the suspect point. UV dye goes into the circuit only where the manufacturer allows it and the technician is certified to break into the circuit.
5. Record the result on the day: the date, the method, what was found, and the cause of any leak.

The repeal also removed the EU-level requirement to check newly installed equipment right after it is put into service. Many operators will keep doing it anyway. A check at commissioning gives the first entry in the equipment’s record and a baseline for every later check. Your service contract, insurer or national rules may also set a method of their own, so check those as well.

After a leak: repair and the follow-up check

Article 4(5) requires a detected leak to be repaired without undue delay. A person certified under Article 10 must then check the equipment again, no earlier than 24 hours of operating time after the repair and no later than one month after it, to confirm that the repair holds. The 24-hour minimum applies to stationary units; only mobile equipment may be rechecked straight after the repair.

Record the leak, the repair and the follow-up check as separate entries, each with its date and result. Article 7(1)(f) requires the dates and results of every leak check and every leak repair. Noting where the leak was and what caused it costs a minute on site and makes the next technician’s first step, reading the records, worth doing.

What goes in the record of a stationary leak check?

Article 7(1) fixes the content, and there is still no official template: the Commission has not used its Article 7(6) power to set a format. For each unit, the record holds the quantity and type of gas, gas added and recovered with dates, the origin of any recycled or reclaimed gas, who did the work with their certificate numbers, the dates and results of leak checks and repairs, and the recovery and disposal measures at decommissioning.

The operator keeps the records for at least five years, and the service company keeps copies for at least five years too (Article 7(2)). We cover each field and the retention rules in detail in our article on the F-gas Regulation 2024/573 and leak-check records.

Labels on stationary F-gas equipment

Since 1 January 2025, Article 12 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2174 set the label. It must say that the equipment contains fluorinated greenhouse gases, give the gas’s industry designation or chemical name, its quantity in weight and in t CO2e, and its GWP, and state “hermetically sealed” where that applies. The label sits next to the service ports or on the part holding the gas, in the official language of the Member State.

Where gas is added outside the factory, the label must leave space for the installer to write in the quantity added and the resulting total. And equipment retrofitted to a different gas must be relabeled. A photo of the label at each visit settles what was in the unit on that date.

F-gas dates in 2026 and 2027 for chillers, AC and heat pumps

• Since 1 January 2025: F-gases with a GWP of 2,500 or more can no longer be used to service refrigeration equipment, with narrow exceptions such as equipment cooling below −50 °C (Article 13(3)). Reclaimed or recycled gas stays allowed until 1 January 2030.
• Since 1 January 2026: the same ban applies to servicing air-conditioning and heat pumps (Article 13(4)). Reclaimed or recycled gas stays allowed until 1 January 2032.
• From 1 January 2027: Annex IV bans placing on the market new chillers up to 12 kW using F-gases with a GWP of 150 or more, chillers above 12 kW at a GWP of 750 or more, self-contained AC and heat pumps up to 50 kW at a GWP of 150 or more, and split air-to-water systems up to 12 kW at a GWP of 150 or more, each unless safety requirements at the site of operation call for it.
• By 12 March 2027: Member States must have the seven-year refresher regime for certified technicians in place.

The Annex IV bans apply to new equipment placed on the market. Existing chillers and AC units can keep running and be serviced, subject to the servicing bans above. As older units age, they tend to need more frequent repairs and refills, and each one goes into the record.

F-gas leak checks in the UK

Great Britain has not adopted Regulation 2024/573. England, Scotland and Wales still apply the retained version of Regulation 517/2014, with intervals set in t CO2e only: at least every 12 months from 5 t CO2e, every 6 months from 50 t and every 3 months from 500 t, doubled with a leak detection system. GB has no 1 kg threshold for HFOs and no residential 3 kg rule. GB’s retained copy of 1516/2007 has not been revoked, so the detailed procedure still sits in GB law. UK technicians use the Category 1 to 4 certificates, and Category 4 covers leak checks that do not break into the circuit. See the government guidance on checking F-gas equipment for leaks.

Northern Ireland follows the EU F-gas rules under the Windsor Framework, so Regulation 2024/573 applies there.

Recording leak checks in plant rooms and on rooftops, even offline

Chillers sit in basements and plant rooms, condensers on rooftops, and refrigeration packs behind cold stores. Signal in those places is often weak or absent, and a check written up back at the van tends to lose its details. Build the leak check form so each item is a field the technician fills at the unit:

1. Equipment: unit ID and site, with a photo of the nameplate and the F-gas label.
2. Gas and charge: refrigerant, kg and t CO2e, and the interval that follows from it.
3. Records reviewed: a yes or no, and any repeat issue noted from earlier entries.
4. Check: method (indirect, direct, or both), points inspected, result, and a photo of the detector display or gauge readings.
5. Leak and repair: location, cause where known, repair done, and the follow-up check date.
6. Gas movements: quantity added or recovered, with a photo of the cylinder label and, for recycled or reclaimed gas, the facility’s name and certificate number.
7. Who and when: technician name, certificate category and number, company certificate number, signature, GPS position and timestamp.

FormRift lets your technicians capture these fields on site with standardized forms, even offline. Each record carries photos of the nameplate, label, gauges and detector display, plus GPS position, signature and timestamp. Data syncs when the network returns, the office gets real-time visibility across sites, every entry feeds an audit trail, and records stay retrievable for five years and export to CSV. FormRift is not the F-gas Portal, a national authority database, a certification body or an Article 6 leak detection system. It does not make anyone compliant, and it does not stand in for certified technicians. It keeps the records their checks produce. See the features and how it works for real estate and facilities and logistics and cold storage teams.

Checklist for stationary F-gas leak checks

1. List every unit by site: chillers, cold rooms, refrigeration packs, AC systems and heat pumps.
2. Read each nameplate and label. Record gas type and charge, convert to t CO2e, and flag hermetically sealed units that are exempt.
3. Set each unit’s interval from the Article 5(6) tiers, and confirm a leak detection system on every unit at 500 t CO2e or more.
4. Check your technicians’ certificates: category A1, A2 or E for HFC systems under the new EU scheme, and the date each one is due a refresher.
5. Agree the check method with your service company now that 1516/2007 no longer sets it, and write it into the contract.
6. Review gas use against the servicing bans, especially AC and heat pumps on GWP 2,500 or more since 1 January 2026.
7. Use one leak check form that covers every Article 7(1) field, and keep five years of records.

Frequently asked questions

Is Regulation 1516/2007 still in force?

Not in the EU. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1444 repealed it with effect from 23 July 2026, without a replacement. Regulation 2024/573 still requires stationary equipment to be leak-checked at set intervals by certified people, but it no longer sets out the method. Great Britain still keeps its retained copy of 1516/2007, so the procedure remains part of GB law.

How often does a chiller need an F-gas leak check?

It depends on the charge in t CO2e. Under 50 t CO2e, at least every 12 months; from 50 to under 500 t, every 6 months; from 500 t, every 3 months. A leak detection system doubles each interval. A chiller with 100 kg of R-134a holds 143 t CO2e, so it needs a check at least every 6 months.

Who can carry out a leak check on a chiller?

A natural person certified under Article 10 of Regulation 2024/573. Under Implementing Regulation 2024/2215, category A1 or A2 covers all work on HFC systems, and category E covers leak checks that do not involve breaking into the circuit. A company certificate alone is not enough: the person who performs the check must hold a personal certificate.

Is a leak check required after installation?

Not under EU law since 23 July 2026. The duty to leak-check new equipment immediately after it is put into service came from Regulation 1516/2007, which was repealed. Regulation 2024/573 has no equivalent. A check at commissioning is still good practice: it sets the baseline for later checks and opens the unit’s record. GB rules still include it.

What is 5 t CO2e in kg of refrigerant?

Divide 5,000 by the gas’s GWP. For R-134a, with a GWP of 1,430 under Annex I, 5 t CO2e is about 3.5 kg. For R-32, with a GWP of 675, it is about 7.4 kg. HFOs listed in Annex II Section 1 have a separate threshold of 1 kg. The label on the unit gives the charge in kg and in t CO2e.

Does a leak detection system replace periodic leak checks?

No. A leak detection system doubles the interval, for example from 3 to 6 months at 500 t CO2e or more, but the checks still happen. It is mandatory for stationary refrigeration, AC, heat pumps and fire protection at 500 t CO2e or more, and the system itself must be checked at least once every 12 months.

Do the 2027 bans mean existing chillers must be replaced?

No. The Annex IV bans from 1 January 2027 cover placing new chillers and certain AC and heat pumps on the market. Existing equipment can keep operating and be serviced, subject to the Article 13 servicing bans: since 2026, virgin gas with a GWP of 2,500 or more can no longer be used to service AC and heat pumps.

Do F-gas leak check rules differ in the UK?

Yes, in Great Britain. GB still applies retained Regulation 517/2014, with t CO2e tiers only, no 1 kg HFO threshold and Category 1 to 4 certificates. UK certificates are not valid for work in the EU. Northern Ireland follows Regulation 2024/573 under the Windsor Framework, so its operators apply the EU rules described above.

The bottom line

Thresholds, intervals, certified technicians and five-year records for stationary equipment are as they were. Since July 2026 the EU no longer sets the method, which puts more weight on what each check records: the points inspected, the method used, the result and the evidence behind it. Agree the method with your service company and capture each check at the unit, on the day.

Inspections, audits and reports then rest on records that hold up, built on simplicity, an audit trail and security.