REFRIGERANTS
Shrinking supply and rising costs
This report from A-Gas argues that recycling refrigerants is a crucial step when it comes to managing the quantities of available refrigerants.
"Recycled refrigerant has been recovered
from a system and put through a
basic cleaning process, allowing it to be reused. As a general principle, recycled refrigerant may only be reused within the same owner’s systems and cannot legally be transferred for use in equipment owned by another party."
F
UK businesses operating refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump technology are being urged to speed
up their transition to lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants. As UK F-Gas quotas tighten, the industry is no longer dealing with theoretical future risks; supply shortages and price instability are already impacting daily operations, with high-GWP hydrofl uorocarbons (HFCs) becoming increasingly expensive and diffi cult to source.
Lifecycle refrigerant management is an eff ective and deliverable circular economy solution.
Reduced availability, unpredictable supply and frequent price increases are trends we are expecting to see accelerate as future quota cuts come into force. This translates into the fact that for many businesses, the cost of maintaining existing systems is rising sharply, while the risk of being unable
to source refrigerant at critical times is becoming very real. The scarcity of high-GWP HFCs like R410A and R134a is driving up maintenance costs and creating real risks for critical system uptime. In response, a broad range of alternatives is already established across the market, including HFO-based blends and lower GWP A2L refrigerants. Equipment manufacturers have already expanded their ranges to support these gases, backed by updated industry
standards and specialised technician training. With virgin supply dwindling, the industry must prioritise
the recovery and reclamation of every kilogram of refrigerant to support a circular economy. In order to do so, it is important to distinguish between recycled and reclaimed refrigerant. Recycled refrigerant has been recovered from a system and
put through a basic cleaning process, allowing it to be reused. As a general principle, recycled refrigerant may only be reused within the same owner’s systems and cannot legally be transferred for use in equipment owned by another party. To be placed back on the market or used beyond the original owner’s systems, refrigerant must be reclaimed by an appropriately certifi ed facility. Reclaimed refrigerant is processed, tested, and certifi ed to meet recognised industry standards, making it equivalent to virgin product and legally suitable for reintroduction into supply. Recovering refrigerant at end of life, during retrofi ts, or when decommissioning equipment supports circular economy principles; it keeps valuable refrigerant in circulation and reduces dependence on increasingly constrained virgin supply.
Tables of current refrigerant replacement options available.
Moving to lower GWP alternatives is more than a compliance box-ticking exercise; it is a vital strategy for long- term business resilience. To prepare, organisations should: ■Evaluate their current reliance on high-GWP gases. ■Assess cost and availability risks for existing equipment ■ Explore retrofi t, replacement, or phased transition strategies
■ Partner with suppliers and service partners to develop a transition roadmap that aligns with UK F-Gas regulations.
20 March 2026 •
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