F gas requirements for air conditioners in cars and other vehicles
Requirements if you own or service a 'mobile air conditioner' that contains hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Vehicles like cars, coaches, trains, ships and aeroplanes often have air conditioners that use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), like HFC 134a. HFCs are a type of fluorinated greenhouse gas (F gas).
Air conditioners in vehicles are also known as ‘mobile air conditioners’.
Refrigeration systems used to cool products stored in trucks and trailers aren’t considered mobile air conditioners. Read the requirements for refrigeration systems if you own or service a refrigerated truck or trailer.
Check if your air conditioner contains F gas
There’s a list of F gases regulated by the EU.
To find out if your mobile air conditioner, or a mobile air conditioner that you’re servicing, contains a regulated F gas you can:
- check your manual or the labels on your vehicle
- speak to the company that you bought the vehicle from
Use qualified technicians
Only technicians qualified to handle F gas can service mobile air conditioners that contain regulated F gases.
Find out what qualifications you need to work on mobile air conditioners that contain F gas.
Check for leaks
You’re legally required to prevent F gases leaking from mobile air conditioners, so you should get your technician to regularly service it and check for leaks.
If you’re a technician that services a mobile conditioner, you share responsibility for stopping leaks with the owner of the vehicle.
Recover F gases when disposing of air conditioners
Your technician must recover F gas from your mobile air conditioner before disposing of it.
Find out how to recover F gas if you’re a technician.