Rules last checked on 5 November 2026
How to check an installer's F-gas certificate
Before anyone fits air conditioning, ask for two things: the person's F-gas qualification and the firm's F-gas certificate. UK law requires both, because these systems hold fluorinated gas. This guide shows how to check them, what happens if nobody has them, and what the rules mean for you once a system is on your wall.
Ask for a quote
Your name, number and postcode. We ring you back.
Which qualification does the person need?
GOV.UK is plain about it: you need your own qualification to work with F gas, even as someone else's employee, and doing so without one can bring a civil penalty. For this kind of equipment there are four categories:
| Category | Allows |
|---|---|
| 1 | Everything |
| 2 | Fitting, maintenance, servicing and refrigerant recovery on systems below 3kg, or below 6kg if hermetically sealed |
| 3 | Refrigerant recovery only, on those same smaller systems |
| 4 | Leak checking, as long as the circuit stays closed |
Which certificate does the company need?
Any business installing, repairing, maintaining or decommissioning this equipment for customers must be certified, and that includes sole traders. GOV.UK names three bodies for air conditioning and heat pumps: Refcom, F-Gas Register (Quidos) and Bureau Veritas. The certificate lasts three years.
Five things to ask an installer
- What is your company certificate number, and which body issued it? Then check it with that body.
- Who will physically handle the refrigerant, and what is their qualification?
- Who will certify the electrics under Part P?
- Will I get a record of the refrigerant type and quantity?
- Who do I call if something goes wrong?
Ask us the same. Be wary of "fit it yourself" kits, which can leave you hunting for a qualified person to finish the job.
Does your system need legal leak checks?
That depends on its refrigerant charge in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. From 5 tonnes up to 50, the check is at least every 12 months. From 50 up to 500, it is at least every six. Below 5 there is no legal interval, and automatic leak detection doubles the gap. Five tonnes is about 7.4kg of R32 (global warming potential 675), or about 2.4kg of R410A (2,088), and the outdoor unit's label tells you what yours holds. A leak has to be fixed as soon as possible and retested within a month. Operators above the threshold keep records for at least five years.
Which refrigerants are banned in new systems?
GOV.UK lists a ban from 2025 on single split systems with under 3kg of refrigerant and a global warming potential above 750. R410A cannot go into new ones, so R32 has become the normal choice. If you already own an R410A unit, it can keep running and be repaired. Movable units using HFCs above 150 are banned too, which is why so many portable models have moved to propane.
Questions people ask
Can a general electrician fit air conditioning?
Only the electrical side. The refrigerant work needs a person holding the right F-gas qualification.
What should I be given at the end?
A note of the equipment and refrigerant, the commissioning results and the electrics certificate. Put all three somewhere safe.
Whose job are the leak checks?
The operator, which normally means the owner unless the duty has been passed on. A rental agreement may say who.
Sources
Useful to have ready
A few details about the building let us say more on the first call.
- Your postcode
- House, flat or business premises
- Which rooms, and roughly how big
- Which way the windows face
- Who owns the outside walls, if you rent or lease
Want this done rather than read about? Air conditioning in Harlow shows what we fit, service and repair, and where we go.
If you want this done
Air conditioning installation
The whole job, stage by stage, from first visit to handover.
Air conditioning servicing
A yearly clean and check, whoever fitted the system.
Air conditioning repairs
Drips, weak cooling, fault codes and dead units.
Other guides
How much does air conditioning cost?
Every cost from purchase to running it, with the working shown.
Does air conditioning need planning permission?
The national conditions, the noise limit and Harlow's protected streets.
Can you have air conditioning in a flat?
Leases, freeholders, council homes and the planning limit on a block.
Can air conditioning heat your home?
Reversing the system, running costs against gas and electric, and where it falls short.
What size air conditioner do you need?
Floor area, kW and BTU, and what shifts the answer.
Portable or fixed air conditioning?
Price, noise, cooling power and which suits your room.
Ask us to ring you
Leave a number and we will call to talk about the job. Or ring 01279 744503.