Legislation and obligations under the F-Gas and ODS Regulations
The framework you must know
Fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances are controlled in Ireland by directly applicable EU law: the F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 (which replaced Regulation 517/2014) and the ODS Regulation (EU) 2024/590 (which replaced Regulation 1005/2009), supported by national regulations. The EPA is the competent authority; certification of technicians and registration of companies is delivered through approved certification bodies.
Know the cast list. The operator is the person exercising actual power over the technical functioning of the equipment - in practice the site owner or end user, not the servicing contractor. The operator carries the duty to have leak checks done, to keep records, to repair leaks and to label equipment. The contractor/certified company must hold the relevant certification and is responsible for doing the work competently.
Core prohibitions and duties: never vent refrigerant to atmosphere; only certified persons may install, service, leak check, recover or charge; only certified companies may recover, recycle, reclaim or destroy; records must be kept for at least five years; equipment must be labelled.
Traps
- "The contractor is the operator because they do the checks" - wrong.
- "My certificate never expires" - certification is time-limited (typically five years) and renewal requires reassessment.
- "Certification lets me work on anything" - Category II is scoped to stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment containing less than 3 kg of F-gas.
Worked example
A 2.5 kg R-32 split unit: within Category II scope. Is a periodic leak check required? Convert first: 2.5 × 675 ÷ 1000 = 1.69 tCO2e, below the 5 tCO2e threshold - no periodic check, but any work must still be recorded and the unit labelled.