Regulation (EU) 2024/573
The EU F-Gas Regulation 2024/573 entered into force on 11 March 2024, repealing 517/2014. It drives HFC availability to zero by 2050 through a tightening CO2-equivalent quota schedule, high-GWP refrigerants consume quota faster, pushing the market to low-GWP alternatives.
Key Placing-on-Market Bans
| Equipment | Ban | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Single splits under 3 kg | GWP 750 or more | 1 Jan 2025 |
| Self-contained AC or HP up to 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1 Jan 2027 |
| Split air-to-water or split AC up to 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1 Jan 2027 |
| Split air-to-air AC or HP up to 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1 Jan 2029 |
| All F-gas in self-contained units | Any F-gas (safety exception) | 1 Jan 2032 |
Low-GWP Alternatives
- R-290 propane, GWP 3 and R-744 CO2, GWP 1, near-zero GWP, with flammable or high-pressure care needed.
- R-32, GWP 675, A2L and R-454B, A2L, mildly flammable transitions from R-410A.
- HFO blends, note the parallel EU PFAS restriction debate may affect some HFOs.
Leak-check duties tighten, 5 t CO2e every 12 months, 50 t every 6 months, 500 t every 3 months with detection. For owners, refrigerant choice directly shapes both operational carbon and embodied carbon of HVAC plant.
For specifiers, the regulation shifts the default toward lower-GWP refrigerants and makes leak management a compliance obligation rather than best practice. Equipment using R-290 or R-744 needs careful charge limits and ventilation design because of flammability or high pressure, so component selection and installation standards matter more than before. The phase-down also affects spare-part availability: as high-GWP charges leave the market, older systems become harder to service, which favors planning replacements on a defined schedule. Heat-recovery and heat-pump loops should be specified with the refrigerant decision made up front, because the exchanger and circuit design depend on the working fluid’s properties. Owners who track refrigerant inventory against the new leak-check thresholds avoid penalties and keep embodied-carbon reporting accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does EU F-Gas Regulation 2024/573 change?
It repeals Regulation 517/2014 and drives HFC availability toward zero by 2050 through a tightening CO2-equivalent quota schedule that penalizes high-GWP refrigerants.
Which refrigerants are affected by the 2024 bans?
Placing-on-market bans phase out high-GWP equipment such as single splits above GWP 750 from 2025 and many split systems above GWP 150 from 2027 to 2029, pushing R-290, R-744, R-32, and R-454B.
What are the leak-check duties under the new F-Gas rules?
Leak-check frequency tightens to every 12 months above 5 tonnes CO2e, every 6 months above 50 tonnes, and every 3 months above 500 tonnes, with detection systems required at the highest thresholds.
How does refrigerant choice affect HVAC carbon accounting?
Because leakage is a high-GWP Scope 3 hotspot, choosing low-GWP charges and disciplined leak-testing materially lowers both operational and embodied carbon reporting.