The Climate Change section of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government have taken the decision to designate F-Gas Registration Ltd as a mandatory F-Gas Company Certification scheme that can issue stationary equipment qualification company certificates in the Republic of Ireland.
new ODS & FG as Regulations published. Links below.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/590/oj
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/573/oj
Initial inquiries may be directed to the EPA however The Fire Engineering Systems Association (FESA) will be able to provide information to their membership which includes most Fire Companies active in Ireland ; email : info@fesa.ie
If your company handles any F Gas (installation, Supply, Maintenance etc.) then you are required to have your engineers personally certified and your company registered with F Gas registration Ltd.
Most Fire companies are already registered with F Gas Registration in Ireland.
Most personal certificates are of UK origin - FIA certificates
Each engineer will need to obtain an exchange certificate from the EPA.
You will then be required to upload these to the F Gas registration web site as replacement for your existing UK certificates.
This process must be completed by 31st December 2020 or possibly earlier if there are earlier BREXIT developments.
There are effectively two main impacts:
1: Your engineers will not be allowed handle F Gas equipment and will be required to retrain and obtain new EU recognized certification.
2: Your company registration will be rescinded if your engineers do not have the necessary EU certification.
Unfortunately the exchange Company registration process has now closed.
Your current UK F Gas registration remains valid up to 23.00 hours on 31st December 2020 unless there is change in EU/UK agreements.
At all times your UK certificate expiry date must be a date later than 31st December 2020.
During the transition period (up to 31st December 2020) of the UK exit from the EU a valid UK issued F Gas certificate will be recognized in the EU member states.For the year 2021 and all subsequent years you will be required to register with F gas registration as a new member unless there is any agreement to the contrary.
The process is detailed on the website and of major importance is the requirement that your engineers personal F gas certificates are valid in the EU and are not UK issued certificates.
EPA exchange certificates are considered as valid for registration.
Unfortunately the F Gas company exchange registration process has now closed.
Due to Brexit the UK company F Gas Registration certificates and UK F Gas handling personal certificates will no longer be valid in the EU27 and must be replaced before 11.00pm on the 31st January 2020.This Date could change due to flex extension
All companies who wish to make a new application to F Gas registration or who hold a current F Gas Registration certificate based on UK personal certificates must now up load their engineers non UK personal certificates to the F Gas Registration data base.
Person certificates which are acceptable are those issued in any EU27 country which are valid at the time of registration and which are in the English language or are accompanied by an attested translation if the certificate is not in the English language.
Exchange certificates issued by the EPA are deemed as acceptable personal certificates.
From the 22nd July 2019 you can apply to F Gas Registration Ltd for an exchange Company certificate ( see web site for application details) in exchange for your UK - F Gas Company Certificate. Your UK certificate must be valid up to 31st January 2020. An EU 27 F Gas Company Certificate will be issued to you free of charge and will have a validity up to 31st January 2020.
All applications for exchange certificates must be received by F Gas Registration Ltd before 11.00pm on the 31st of January 2020. After this date no exchange certificate applications can be accepted.
Answer : A stakeholders notice on the withdrawal of the UK and EU rules on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases was published by the EU Commission on the 19 th December 2018. This sets forth the consequences of BREXIT which need to be considered by economic operators. The notice in full can viewed in full at https://ec/europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/fluorinated-gases en.pdf
The notice, amongst other things, states that as of the withdrawal date, certificates and training attestations issued in the United Kingdom will NO longer be recognized for activities carried out in the EU-27 (which includes the Republic of Ireland) from 1st February 2020.( or before with flex extension)
This will create issues for companies and undertakings who are registered in the UK with certification bodies such as Refcom and Quidos or any other.
The Irish authorities are currently working on solutions to these BREXIT consequences. Updates will be posted in due course. The UK authorities have informed the EU authorities that post BREXIT they will automatically recognize EU-27 certificates
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) quota is needed for the import of bulk gas only into the European Union in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation(EU) No. 517/2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases. Quotas are issued by the European Commission. I refer you to their website for further information: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/f-gas/reporting_en Please note that importers of HFCs in precharged equipment require a quota authorisation. Both – quotas and (quota) authorisations are not needed for imports of less than 100t of CO2 equivalent of HFC per year (in equipment or as bulk gas). Please note it is an offence to place on the market in Ireland HFC gases without adequate quota or equipment containing HFCs without the required authorisation under the Irish Statutory Instrument No. 658 of 2016 [the European Union (Fluorinated Greenhouse gas) Regulations 2016]. More information can also be found at www.ozone.ie and www.fgases.ie .
Answer : Yes, cost is €30.00 + VAT for 100 labels
Answer : Multiply the GWP of the gas x the weight in kgs divided by 1000 = tonnes of CO2
equivalent.
Answer : Operators of stationary RAC applications as well as refrigerated trucks and trailers containing 5c of CO2 - equivalent or more F-Gas charge have to maintain records of equipment and make them available to the National Competent Authority or the European Commission on request,.
If the equipment is labeled " Hermetically sealed Equipment " these records are only required if the charge is more than 10t of CO2 equipment.
However it is considered " Industrial Best Practice " to have a record on all equipment containing F-Gas.
Records must be kept by the operator for 5yrs while the contractor must also keep a copy of the records for 5yrs.
Answer : From January 2020 stationary refrigerator equipment that contains HFC with a GWP of 2,500 or more will be banned except equipment intended to cool products to temperatures below -50C
Answer :Yes
Answer : In all E.U Countries.
Answer : No.
Answer : No,only certificates issued within the E.U are valid.
Answer : Irish S.I 279 OF 2011 state that FAS Apprenticeships Post 2010 are deem to have an F-Gas Qualification. S.I 658 OF 2016 state that Solas Apprenticeships Post 2010 (earliest commencement date of apprenticeship January 2010) Qualification in advanced Craft Certificate in Registration & Air Conditioning.
If you have qualified before 01 Jan 2014 you are required to hold a seratate F-Gas Handling Qualification.
Answer : YES
All refrigeration, air conditioning and heat-pump equipment including mobile air conditioning must be labeled appropriately. The label needs to indicate the equipment contains F-Gases. The information should be clearly legible and easily accessible i.e. located near the service ports. If the equipment is hermetically sealed this needs to indicated on the label. The label should also state "Contains Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Covered by the Kyoto Protocol"
It should also contain the following information: (1) Type of F-Gas (2) Charge of F-Gas expressed in Kgs (3) GWP of the F-Gas (4) CO2 equivalent of the charge
Answer : Fluorinated gases have a high global warming effect if released into the atmosphere.
The objective of the Regulations is to contain, prevent and thereby reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol, so as to help combat climate change.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, the European Union has committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 8% compared to the base year 1990 in the period 2008 2012.
The Kyoto Protocol covers the major greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and three groups of fluorinated gases, the so called ‘F-Gases’: hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
To reduce emissions of these F-Gases in order to meet the EU climate change objectives and obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, the European Parliament and the Council adopted on 17 May 2006 the Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gas Regulation). This Regulation which applies as of 4th July 2007, lays down specific requirements for the different stages of the whole life cycle of F-Gases, from the production to end of life. Consequently, different operators along the life cycle of the F-Gases are affected by the Regulation including producers, importers and exporters of F Gases, manufacturers and importers of certain F-Gas containing products and equipment and operators of the equipment.
Answer :Commission Regulation 303 & 304/2008 of 2 April 2008 sets out the requirements for a company certification scheme for businesses working with stationary refrigeration air-conditioning and heat pump equipment containing or designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gases) and Fire sector systems and equipment in accordance with Article 5.1 of EC Regulations 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases (the EC F-Gas Regulation).
Answer : All businesses carrying out installation, maintenance or servicing of stationary refrigeration and air-conditioning (SRAC) and/or heat pump equipment containing or designed to contain F-Gas refrigerants, be that as an in-house function or acting as contractors on behalf of other businesses must hold a certificate and;
All businesses carrying out installation, maintenance or servicing of stationary fire protection systems and fire extinguishers containing or designed to contain F-Gases, be that as an in-house function or acting as contractors on behalf of other businesses must hold a certificate.
Answer : Commission Regulation 303 & 304/2008 defines installation as follows:
Stationary Refrigeration and Air Conditioning “installation” means joining two or more pieces of equipment or circuits containing or designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gas refrigerant, with a view to assembling a system in the location where it will be operated, including the action by which refrigerant conductors of a system are joined together to complete a refrigerant circuit irrespective of the need to charge the system after assembly. Therefore if you are simply installing water piping to a chilled water or heat pump system you do not require certification, however if you are commissioning the chiller or heat pump you do require certification.
Fire sector Installation means connecting for the first time at the location in which they will be operated, one or more containers containing or designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gas extinguishing agent with associated components, excluding those components which do not affect the containment of the extinguishing agent prior to its release for the purpose of fire extinguishing.
Answer : Commission Regulation 303 & 304/2008 defines maintenance or servicing as follows:
Stationary Refrigeration and Air Conditioning “maintenance or servicing” means all activities, excluding recovery and checks for leakage, that entail breaking into the circuits containing or designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, in particular supplying the system with fluorinated greenhouse gases, removing one or more pieces of circuit or equipment, re-assembling two or more pieces of circuit or equipment, as well as repairing leakages.
Fire Sector Maintenance or servicing comprises all activities that entail work on the containers (or piping) containing or designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gas extinguishing agent or on the associated components, excluding those components which do not affect the containment of the extinguishing agent prior to its release for the purpose of fire extinguishing
Leakage checking means the examination of the system for leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
No.
The certificate only caters for Fire extinguishers which contain an F Gas.
You are free to work with any extinguisher which does not contain an F Gas. If an extinguisher does contain an F Gas then you would be required to return the cylinder to a certified facility if the gas needs to be recovered.
