The EU F-Gas Regulation (2024/573) bans refrigerants with a GWP of 150 or more in new monoblock and air-to-water split heat pumps up to 12 kW from 1 January 2027, while cutting the HFC supply quota roughly in half again for 2027–2029. R290 propane, with a GWP near zero, is the industry's answer, and installers need certification that now covers flammable natural refrigerants. Installed heat pumps keep operating and can be serviced as before.
What does the EU F-Gas Regulation actually change for heating?
Regulation (EU) 2024/573, in force since 11 March 2024, phases fluorinated refrigerants out of the European market using two levers at once: a shrinking supply quota that makes HFC refrigerants scarcer and more expensive with every step, and hard bans on placing new equipment on the market above defined GWP thresholds. For the heating trade it is the most consequential product regulation of the decade, because it decides which heat pumps may legally be sold, which refrigerants remain serviceable, and which certifications installers must hold.
The quota arithmetic is the quiet driver. The EU capped HFC supply at 42.9 Mt CO2e for 2025–2026 — roughly a 48% cut against the 2023 level of 82.3 Mt — and the cap falls to about 21.7 Mt for 2027–2029, near 9 Mt from 2030, and a full HFC phase-out by 2050. Each step makes every kilogram of high-GWP refrigerant consume more of a shrinking allowance. The equipment bans take the headlines, but the quota is what changes service invoices year after year.
Which heat pumps are banned from 2027?
From 1 January 2027, new monoblock heat pumps and air conditioners up to 50 kW — and air-to-water split systems up to 12 kW — may no longer be placed on the EU market if their refrigerant has a GWP of 150 or more. In practice this moves the volume segment of new residential heating in the EU away from R32 (GWP 675) and R410A (GWP 2,088) toward R290 propane — the refrigerant Solimpeks uses in its Varm Boost, Commercial Duo and Solido ranges.
The full Annex IV calendar staggers by product type:
| Date | New-equipment ban (F-Gas Regulation 2024/573, Annex IV) |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2027 | Monoblock heat pumps/AC ≤12 kW and 12–50 kW, and air-to-water splits ≤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 | Any F-gas refrigerant in monoblocks ≤12 kW |
| 1 Jan 2033 | Splits >12 kW with GWP ≥150 |
| 1 Jan 2035 | Any F-gas refrigerant in splits ≤12 kW |
Two nuances matter commercially. Every ban line carries a carve-out where a higher-GWP refrigerant is genuinely required to meet safety requirements; for monoblock and other self-contained units the fallback ceiling is GWP 750. And the bans target placing on the market — the first time a unit is made available in the EU — not the sell-through of stock already in the distribution chain, and never the operation of installed systems. The precise transition wording should be checked in the final text on EUR-Lex before large stock decisions are made.
Why is R290 propane the industry's answer?
R290 clears the GWP 150 bar by four orders of magnitude: refrigerant-grade propane has a GWP of roughly 0.02 under IPCC AR6 accounting, sits entirely outside the HFC quota, and is untouched by the 2032 and 2035 full F-gas bans, which concern fluorinated gases only. A unit designed around it today faces no regulatory cliff for its entire service life.
The thermodynamics reward the choice. R290's high critical temperature lets heat pumps deliver 70–75 °C flow water — enough to replace a boiler on existing radiators and to charge a hot water cylinder past 60 °C without an electric backup element. The trade-off is A3 flammability, which the industry answers with architecture rather than restriction: in a monoblock heat pump the whole refrigerant circuit is factory-sealed in the outdoor unit, charges stay small, and indoor rooms never contain refrigerant. Small split systems, whose refrigerant lines run indoors, are instead migrating to other sub-150-GWP blends — one more reason the monoblock vs split decision now has a regulatory dimension.
What must installers do before the 2026–2027 deadlines?
Get certified for natural refrigerants. EU-wide minimum certification requirements — covering hydrocarbons such as R290 propane, CO2 and ammonia alongside the F-gases — are set by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215. Certificates issued under the old 2014 regulation remain valid, but by 12 March 2027 Member States must require refresher training or re-evaluation at least every seven years, and existing holders must complete it for the first time by 12 March 2029. Certification covers installation, leak checking, servicing and decommissioning, and for R290 the practical content is flammable-gas competence: charge limits, siting clearances to openings and ignition sources, and the transport and storage of A3 cylinders.
Treat the deadline as a business opportunity rather than a compliance chore. Certified R290 capacity is scarce in most national markets, and every heat pump subsidy scheme in Europe funnels demand toward exactly the units that need it — an installer who completes flammable-refrigerant training in 2026 sells into a market where many competitors cannot quote at all. Firms running service fleets should also check van transport rules for A3 cylinders, which differ from the F-gas routine.
Servicing restrictions arrive in parallel. Virgin refrigerants with a GWP of 2,500 or more have been banned for servicing stationary refrigeration since January 2025, and since 1 January 2026 the same GWP 2,500 servicing ban applies to air-conditioning and heat pump equipment (Article 13(4)), with reclaimed and recycled refrigerant allowed until 1 January 2032. The direction is unambiguous: high-GWP service gas becomes progressively harder to source legally, and reclaim networks become part of every service operation.
Will refrigerant prices rise for existing systems?
Yes — structurally. When the quota nearly halves again in 2027, the CO2-equivalent cost of every high-GWP kilogram rises, and the first F-Gas phase-down showed service prices for the highest-GWP gases multiplying ahead of each quota step. An installed R410A unit remains legal to operate and service, but its owner carries growing price exposure with every leak repair.
That context belongs in honest purchase advice in 2026. A sub-150-GWP unit is insulated from quota economics entirely, while a well-built, factory-sealed monoblock rarely needs refrigerant added during its life, so for such units the exposure is limited mainly to leak repairs. Installers quoting repairs on ageing R404A or R410A equipment should present the replacement mathematics alongside the repair bill. Reclaimed and recycled refrigerant softens the squeeze for a transition period — the refrigerant supply chain is reorganising around recovery for precisely this reason — but reclaim volumes cannot replace virgin supply for a whole installed base, so scarcity pricing remains the base case.
What should distributors and building owners do now?
Distributors should map every SKU against the ban calendar, plan 2026–2027 purchasing around sub-150-GWP product, and put flammable-refrigerant training on the calendar for every installation partner — demand is not the constraint, certified capacity is. The market backdrop is strong: European heat pump sales grew 13% in 2025 to 2.88 million units (EHPA).
For building owners choosing a new system up to 12 kW, R290 is the future-proof answer: it rides out the entire phase-down untouched. And one system-level hedge deserves mention — solar thermal collectors contain no refrigerant at all. A collector field covering summer hot water shortens heat pump runtime and sidesteps refrigerant economics entirely, which is one reason hybrid solar and heat pump systems are gaining specification share. Solimpeks manufactures both halves of that system in Konya — Solimpeks heat pumps, including the R290 Varm Boost, Commercial Duo and Solido ranges, and Wunder collectors — and ships them to 96+ countries, so the refrigerant transition shapes its product planning directly. The wider technology picture is in the heat pump guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still buy an R32 heat pump in 2026?
Yes. Monoblock and air-to-water split units up to 12 kW using R32 can be placed on the EU market until 31 December 2026, stock already in the distribution chain can generally sell through afterwards, and outside the EU R32 remains a mainstream refrigerant. An installed R32 unit may be operated and serviced for its whole life, and a sealed monoblock rarely needs refrigerant added, so rising HFC prices mainly matter for leak repairs. For new EU installations in the small-unit classes from 2027, R290 models are the straightforward choice — ask your installer or us which fits your project.
Does the 2027 ban affect heat pumps that are already installed?
No. The bans apply to placing new equipment on the market. Installed systems may be operated and serviced as before; the HFC quota cuts make high-GWP service refrigerant progressively more expensive, which matters mainly when a leak has to be repaired.
Are split heat pumps affected by the F-Gas bans too?
Yes, on a staggered calendar: air-to-water splits up to 12 kW face the GWP 150 limit from 2027, air-to-air splits up to 12 kW from 2029, and larger splits face GWP 750 from 2029 tightening to GWP 150 in 2033. A full F-gas ban for small splits follows in 2035.
What certification do installers need for R290?
EU-wide minimum certification requirements covering natural refrigerants are set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215; existing F-gas certificates stay valid, but holders must complete refresher training or re-evaluation by 12 March 2029 and at least every seven years after that. The core content is flammable-refrigerant competence: safe charging, leak procedures, siting clearances and A3 cylinder handling.
Is R290 safe to use in a home heat pump?
Yes, within its design rules. In a monoblock the entire charge — typically one to two kilograms — is factory-sealed outdoors, so no refrigerant ever enters the building. Safety standards define clearances to windows, doors, drains and ignition sources, which trained installers apply at siting.