The EU F-Gas Regulation (2024/573), in force since 11 March 2024, phases down fluorinated refrigerants by cutting the HFC quota to 42.9 Mt CO2e for 2025–2026 — roughly 48% below the 2023 level — on a path to a full HFC phase-out by 2050. The key heat pump equipment ban starts 1 January 2027 for monoblocks up to 50 kW and small air-to-water splits using refrigerants with GWP ≥150.
What does the F-Gas Regulation actually do?
Regulation (EU) 2024/573 attacks fluorinated greenhouse gases from four directions at once: a shrinking quota on how much HFC may be placed on the EU market, dated bans on new equipment containing high-GWP refrigerants, restrictions on which refrigerants may be used for servicing, and EU-wide training requirements for the people who handle them. Together they steer the heating and cooling industry toward refrigerants with a low GWP — and increasingly toward natural ones.
The quota is the economic engine. Allowable HFC supply falls from 42.9 Mt CO2e in 2025–2026 to about 21.7 Mt in 2027–2029 and roughly 9 Mt from 2030, reaching zero in 2050. Scarcity raises HFC prices step by step, so even equipment that remains legal becomes steadily costlier to charge and service.
What is the equipment ban timeline for heat pumps?
Annex IV bans place dated GWP limits on new equipment entering the EU market — existing installations may keep running. A safety carve-out (with a GWP 750 fallback) exists where flammable refrigerants cannot meet site safety requirements.
| Date | New equipment banned |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2027 | Monoblock AC and heat pumps ≤12 kW and 12–50 kW with GWP ≥150; split air-to-water ≤12 kW with GWP ≥150 |
| 1 Jan 2029 | Split air-to-air ≤12 kW with GWP ≥150; splits >12 kW with GWP ≥750 |
| 1 Jan 2030 | Other self-contained equipment >50 kW with GWP ≥150 |
| 1 Jan 2032 | Full F-gas ban for monoblocks ≤12 kW |
| 1 Jan 2033 | Splits >12 kW with GWP ≥150 |
| 1 Jan 2035 | Full F-gas ban for splits ≤12 kW |
The 2027 line is the one reshaping the domestic market today: it moves new small monoblocks — the volume segment of a European market that grew 13% in 2025 (EHPA) — from R32 (GWP 675) and R410A (GWP 2,088) toward refrigerants below GWP 150 such as R290. Servicing rules bite too: since 1 January 2025, virgin refrigerants with GWP ≥2,500 are banned for servicing stationary refrigeration, with reclaimed and recycled fluid bridging the transition.
What does the F-Gas Regulation mean for heat pump buyers?
Nothing already installed becomes illegal: an R32 or R410A heat pump running today may be operated, repaired and refilled for its full service life. The regulation governs what may be newly placed on the market — so its practical effect on a buyer is about future-proofing. A unit using R290 propane (GWP ≈ 3) or another natural refrigerant sits outside the quota system entirely, immune to both the ban calendar and HFC price inflation.
For distributors the key term is "placing on the market" — the first time a unit is made available in the EU: stock already placed on the market can generally still sell through, but transition details should be checked in the final text, and 2026 purchasing already revolves around sub-150-GWP models. Manufacturers serving Europe plan product generations against the Annex IV dates — Solimpeks' R290 range includes the Varm Boost and Commercial Duo heat pumps and the Solido hot water heat pump.
What must installers do before 2027?
Train for new chemistry. The regulation extends EU-wide minimum training and certification to natural refrigerants — propane, CO2, ammonia — as well as F-gases; the Commission set the minimum requirements in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215, and Member States have been adapting their national programmes since. Certification is required for leak checks, installation, servicing and decommissioning, and the practical content is dominated by flammable-refrigerant competence: charge limits, siting clearances, transport and storage of A3 fluids.
Why do natural refrigerants win under this regulation?
Because they are structurally outside it. Propane, CO2 and ammonia are not fluorinated, so they face no quota, no phase-down surcharge and no appearance on any ban list — the regulation is explicitly steering the market toward them. Full phase-down mechanics, quota economics and product strategy are covered in the EU F-Gas guide. It is also worth noting what needs no refrigerant at all: solar thermal collectors deliver heat with zero F-gas exposure, one reason refrigerant-free solar water heating keeps its place alongside heat pumps in EU decarbonisation planning.
Frequently asked questions
Does the F-Gas Regulation ban my existing heat pump?
No. The equipment bans apply to new products placed on the EU market after each date. Installed systems may keep operating and being serviced for their full life — though refrigerants under the HFC quota are expected to get more expensive as supply tightens.
What does GWP 150 mean in practice?
It is the threshold below which a refrigerant survives the 2027-2030 equipment bans. R290 propane (GWP about 3) and CO2 clear it easily; R32 (675) and R410A (2,088) do not. GWP compares a gas's 100-year warming effect with CO2.
When do installers need natural-refrigerant certification?
The EU-wide minimum requirements, which now cover natural refrigerants, were set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 and are applied through national certification programmes; certificates issued under the previous regulation remain valid under their original conditions. Certification covers installation, leak checking, servicing and decommissioning.
Why is the 2027 deadline called the big one for heat pumps?
Because it covers monoblock and air-to-water split units up to 12 kW — the core of the residential market. From 1 January 2027 those units must use refrigerants under GWP 150, which in practice means R290 propane and a handful of other low-GWP fluids.
Does the regulation affect solar thermal systems?
Only favourably. Solar thermal collectors and their glycol loops contain no fluorinated gases, so they carry no quota exposure, no ban dates and no certification burden — an argument for pairing solar water heating with heat pumps as refrigerant rules tighten.