Guidance

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).

This guidance was withdrawn on

Find guidance on your responsibilities for equipment containing F gas in F gas: guidance for users, producers and traders.

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.

Updates to this page

Published 31 December 2014

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