New F-Gas Penalties: Are You Prepared?

Companies and individuals across the UK could be at risk of fines up to £200,000 if they breach new F-Gas regulations.

Companies and individuals across the UK could be at risk of fines up to £200,000 if they breach new F-Gas regulations that entitle local government bodies and authorities to apply civil penalties for non-compliance. The Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (Amendment) Regulations 2018 were laid before Parliament in January and enforcement bodies will be entitled to apply penalties from April 2018.

The aim of the penalties is to act as a deterrent for non-compliant behaviours. The penalties are being enforced across England and Scotland. Wales and Ireland have opted to not adopt the regulations at this time.

There are various levels of fines that can be applied depending on the offence:

The maximum fine that could be imposed is £200,000. This would be enforced due to the intentional release of F-Gases into the environment, which is also deemed as a criminal offence. Or, for breaching the F-Gas quota limits when placing HFCs on the market.

Failing to comply with regulations and procedures for minimising emissions or leakage could incur penalties of up to £100,000. This could also be applied if F-Gases are not properly recovered from equipment. Need help with your refrigerant recovery? A-Gas Rapid Recovery’s fully F-Gas compliant refrigerant recovery service can support you through the process.

A fine of up to £50,000 could be issued for failing to correctly label equipment, not keeping proper records of F-Gases used in equipment or noncompliance with declarations for importing products containing F-Gases. Don’t risk receiving a fine due to incomplete records, A-Gas’ Gas-Trak Online (GTO) software features a cylinder tracking and management capability that will produce F-Gas usage reports, plus much more.

A maximum fine of £10,000 could be applied in minor breaches, for example not reporting on the F-Gas production within issued deadlines.

Concerned? A-Gas has got you covered.

A-Gas is committed to supporting the phase down of high GWP products across the industry and is working with customers and partners around the country to switch to lower GWP alternatives.

From F-Gas compliant refrigerant labels for labelling systems, to a free trial of GTO to ensure your records are fully in-line with regulations, A-Gas is here to help. We have over 25 years’ experience of supporting clients and partners through changes in regulation, such as the move away from disposable cylinders and the phase out of R-22. Our team of experts can support you through the ever-evolving industry environment to ensure you stay afoot of the regulatory changes.  

For more information on how our product offering can support your business, please contact us via our website: https://www.agas.co.uk/contact-us/