REFRIGERANTS
From risk to reward L
Why F-gas compliance isn’t just about avoiding fi nes, as explained by Paul Webb, Head of Customer Insight & Education, at Joblogic.
Here’s
where the right digital foundation matters. You can’t aff ord to be reactive when you’re scaling.
Whether it’s a regional rollout or just onboarding a few new engineers, you need workfl ows that hold up under pressure and still make sense on day one for a new starter.
et’s be honest, no one gets into HVACR to push paperwork. But here we are. Last year, the Environment Agency handed out over £3
million in fi nes (
https://bit.ly/3UYhVZK) related to F-gas breaches. Electrolux alone was fi ned £10,500 – not for a leak or gas release, but simply because their records weren’t up to scratch.
That tells you something straight away: this isn’t just about the environment or even the engineering. It’s about documentation. It’s about the bits of admin that sit behind the job, often left for later, until ‘later’ turns out to be audit day. While the headlines focus on fi nes, I want to talk about what
doesn’t get shouted about enough: the opportunities that solid digital compliance unlocks. Because if you get it right, this isn’t just a way to stay out of trouble. It’s a way to run faster, smarter, and win better work.
The quiet problem no one sees coming Most F-gas compliance issues don’t start with a major mistake. They start with a missed entry here, a mislabelled asset there. It all comes down to the paper form that got damp in the van, the service record that didn’t get updated when a job overran, or the folder on someone’s desktop that was never shared. It’s understandable. Engineers are out there doing the job.
They’re focused on fi xes, not forms. But without the right systems supporting them, even the most diligent team ends up chasing their tail. And when things go wrong, the damage isn’t just fi nancial. Losing contracts, undermining client trust, and scrambling to pull together documentation – these are real risks. Especially in sectors like healthcare, education, or food, where compliance isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s non-negotiable.
The real picture: what audits actually look like If you’ve never been through an F-gas audit, let me paint the picture. The request usually starts simple: “Can you provide the F-gas log for this site?” But that’s when the fun starts. The log itself needs to show gas types, quantities added or removed, leak checks, service dates – and that’s before you get into tonnage calculations for systems over fi ve tonnes CO₂ equivalent. Suddenly, you’re hunting for information across folders, systems, engineer notes, and inboxes, trying to stitch together a trail that should have been joined up from the start. And here’s the kicker: even if the work was done perfectly, if the paperwork doesn’t prove it, you’re still at risk. In the eyes of the auditor, no record equals non-compliance.
24 September 2025 •
www.acr-news.com
Paul Webb
From fi refi ghting to forward-thinking Here’s where I want to fl ip the script, because this isn’t just a doom-and-gloom story. There’s a better way, and many in the industry are already starting to shift. I’ve seen companies win long-term FM contracts because
they were able to prove digital compliance quickly. In procurement situations, I’ve seen digital compliance capabilities referred to as 'risk reducing'. And that’s before we even get into the time-saving benefi ts for engineering workfl ows, audit preparation, and the admin team. Think about it: your compliance logs, usually seen as a back-
offi ce burden, suddenly become a competitive advantage. A reason to choose you over the next bidder. That’s powerful.
Engineers don’t need more admin; they need better tools. No one’s suggesting engineers should become data clerks. The goal here isn’t more admin, it’s less. But smarter. When compliance becomes a natural part of the workfl ow, not a separate chore, everything changes. Job done? Tick a box, capture a reading, upload a photo. Certifi cates are automatically generated, audit trails are logged, and everyone stays in sync. This doesn’t just help you stay legal. It helps you move
faster, invoice quicker, and reduce callbacks. Ultimately, you prove the quality of your work, even after the engineer has moved on to the next job.
Download the ACR News app today
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
