What the F-Gas 2027 quota cut is

The GB F-Gas Regulation caps the total volume of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant that can enter the market each year, and that cap steps down on a fixed schedule. Each step reduces how much new HFC gas contractors, wholesalers, and importers can bring into the country.

Defra reviewed that schedule in 2026 and decided not to change it, so the step already due for 2027 goes ahead as planned. That step cuts the GB HFC quota by 22.6% from 1 January 2027, taking it from 31% to 24% of 2015 baseline levels. A further cut follows in 2030, down to 21%.

None of this bans owning or running existing equipment. It's a squeeze on how much new HFC gas can enter the market, and for any business servicing refrigeration or air-conditioning systems, that squeeze shows up as price, availability, and the rising cost of keeping older plant running.

How the quota cut affects refrigerant costs and supply

Not all refrigerants are affected equally, and that's down to one number: GWP, or Global Warming Potential, which measures how much heat a gas traps compared to CO2. The F-Gas quota is measured in CO2e, not kilograms, so a high-GWP gas eats up far more of the shrinking allocation per kilo than a low-GWP one does. That's why high-GWP refrigerants get squeezed out first as the cap tightens.

You're already seeing it. In May 2026, Beijer Ref UK, the country's largest refrigeration and air conditioning wholesaler, raised prices on R410A and R407C by 60%, with R134a and R32 up 35% and 30%. Suppliers have pointed to the tightening F-Gas quota as the reason.

It hits your business two ways:

• Cost: high-GWP refrigerants get expensive first, and every top-up on a legacy system costs more as supply tightens. Those increases are arriving well before the January 2027 deadline, not after it.
• Availability: as the phase-down progresses, finding enough gas becomes as much of a problem as finding a good price for it.

If your fixed-price maintenance agreements don't account for these increases, that cost lands straight on your margin. If your planned preventative maintenance (PPM) contracts were priced without factoring in rising refrigerant costs, the gap will show up at renewal, or worse, mid-term. Getting reliable data on your contract estate is the first practical step to closing it.

Which systems are most exposed

If you think running a smaller operation makes you safer, you'd be wrong. Exposure comes down to three things: the GWP of the refrigerant, the total charge size, and the leak history of the asset.

A modest cold room on R-404A can carry a heavier CO2e burden than a much larger system on a lower-GWP gas, simply because of how GWP multiplies. Take the mandatory leak-check threshold: it's set at 5 tonnes CO2e, but that translates to very different kilogram amounts depending on the gas. For R-410A, 5 tonnes CO2e is reached at around 2.4kg, which is why some older or larger comfort-cooling systems fall into mandatory leak checking even when the charge weight looks modest.

Here is how the most commonly used refrigerants compare:

R-404A already carries a separate, stricter restriction: since 2020, virgin gas with a GWP of 2,500 or more can't be used to service systems above 40 tonnes CO2e, though reclaimed or recycled gas is still permitted until 1 January 2030. Note that the EU has since extended a similar ban to air conditioning and heat pumps, but GB hasn't, so don't assume that applies here yet. A system with a history of repeated top-ups is the costliest to maintain as gas gets scarce, so it's worth identifying those assets now rather than scrambling later.

What your F-Gas compliance duties still require

The quota cut changes supply. Your existing legal obligations as an operator don't change at all, and conflating the two is where many businesses lose focus.

Leak-check frequency depends on system size:

• 5 tonnes CO2e or more: at least annually
• 50 tonnes CO2e or more: at least every six months
• 500 tonnes CO2e or more: at least every three months

Fitting an approved automatic leak detection system halves the check frequency at every threshold.

Records must include refrigerant quantities, leak check dates and results, engineer and company details, and details of any repairs. Outsourcing maintenance to a third party doesn't transfer your operator status, the legal obligation stays with you, which is why consistent compliance tracking matters across every contract.

Use F-Gas certified engineers for all installation, servicing, maintenance, repair, recovery, and decommissioning work. It's a legal requirement, not just good practice, and cutting corners here exposes you to enforcement risk you don't need to carry. As lower-GWP alternatives like R-32 become more common on site, make sure your engineers have the additional A2L (mildly flammable) handling training, it's a workforce planning issue now, not just a compliance one.

How to prepare before January 2027

Identifying the symptoms is good, but it won't cure you. Treating what's wrong is what will protect your business in the long run, and that starts with knowing exactly what you're working with.

Audit your asset register and refrigerant data

Start by listing every refrigeration and air-conditioning system you manage, with the refrigerant type and charge size in kilograms recorded for each.

Multiply the charge weight in kilograms by the refrigerant's GWP, then divide by 1,000 to get tonnes CO2e. For example, 10kg of R-410A at a GWP of 2,088 gives 20.88 tonnes CO2e, which means an annual leak check is required.

Use the calculator below to check your own systems:

Don't rely on nameplates alone, systems get retrofitted and often don't match what's on the label. Thorough asset surveys and your most recent service reports give you the accurate baseline you need.

Calculate CO2e for each system and store it in your asset register. With that data in one place across all your sites, you can see which assets need attention first without cross-referencing spreadsheets. Joblogic's Asset Management lets you record refrigerant data directly against each asset and surface the highest-risk systems across your full portfolio.

Standardise how engineers log gas on site

The F-Gas register is an operational record for each piece of equipment containing five tonnes CO2e or more, and insurers are paying attention to it. Claims for spoiled stock have already been pushed back because the operator couldn't produce a current register, which the insurer treated as evidence of non-compliant maintenance.

When engineers log refrigerant quantities, leak-check results, and completion certificates through a mobile app as part of the job workflow, records are accurate, timestamped, and attached to the correct asset automatically. The audit trail builds as work is completed, not afterwards, whether an engineer is completing a scheduled quarterly check or responding to an ad-hoc breakdown.

Joblogic's F-Gas tracking module is developed in partnership with REFCOM, the industry's own certification body, and built specifically around how certified engineers need to log and report gas. You can see the full feature set on the F-Gas compliance page.

For businesses managing multiple sites and subcontractors, that consistency across every visit removes the risk of gaps appearing before an inspection.

Why this is worth getting right

A single F-Gas breach can carry a civil penalty of up to £200,000, and the Environment Agency has been actively issuing more of them against businesses that haven't bought sufficient quota. The cost of non-compliance goes well beyond the fine itself, rejected insurance claims and reputational damage add up fast too.

There's a second consequence that ties directly back to the quota cut itself: import over your allocation, and the Environment Agency claws back 200% of the overage from your next quota allocation. Get caught short now, and your already-shrinking future allocation shrinks further.

None of this needs to catch you out. The quota cut, the cost pressure, the compliance duties, all of it is manageable with good data and the right process behind it. If you want to see how Joblogic can help you stay ahead of it, book a demo and a specialist will walk you through the platform.

Frequently asked questions

Did Defra cancel the January 2027 HFC quota reduction?

No. After assessing consultation responses, Defra concluded further work was needed on changes to the HFC phase-down, and confirmed it wouldn't legislate in 2026 to change the phase-down steps from 1 January 2027. The existing schedule continues to apply.

Is it legal to keep running a system containing R-404A after the quota cut?

Yes. None of these gases are illegal to keep using in existing equipment, and you can continue running and servicing them, subject to a few constraints. The restriction applies to placing new high-GWP virgin gas on the market above certain charge thresholds, not to owning plant that already holds it.

How do I calculate the CO2e of my refrigerant charge?

Multiply the charge weight in kilograms by the refrigerant's GWP, then divide by 1,000. Ten kilograms of R-404A at a GWP of 3,922 gives 39.2 tonnes CO2e. That single figure determines your leak check interval and your record-keeping obligations.

What training do engineers need to work on R-32 systems?

R-32 carries an A2L (mildly flammable) safety classification. Engineers working with A2L refrigerants need specific handling training beyond a standard F-Gas certificate. Check with your awarding body for the current requirement before allocating engineers to these systems.

Who is legally responsible for F-Gas records when a contractor carries out the work?

The operator of the equipment is responsible for ensuring leak checks happen and records are kept. A certified engineer can legally handle refrigerant, but the operator, typically the building owner or facilities manager, bears the legal duty. Your contractor produces the data, but you hold the responsibility for retaining it.

Should I retrofit a high-GWP system to a lower-GWP refrigerant, or replace the equipment?

Retrofitting to a compatible lower-GWP gas makes sense for systems with several years of reliable service life left. For equipment already generating repeated callouts, replacement is usually the better commercial decision, retrofitting only delays an inevitable cost while the refrigerant itself gets harder to source.