Industrial chillers

F-gas 2025: why refrigerants keep getting more expensive — and what you can do about it

The EU is gradually phasing out conventional refrigerants — the price of R-410A and R-134a rises year after year. If you operate an industrial chiller, this change directly affects your service costs. Here is what is happening, what your obligations are, and what your options are.

Cyber in Systems·April 15, 2026

Cooling

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F-gas 2025: why refrigerants keep getting more expensive — and what you can do about it

One question that will soon affect every manufacturing site

If you run an injection moulding, blow moulding or other processing plant, you almost certainly have one — or several — industrial chillers on site. These units work in the background; nobody pays them much attention as long as they keep running. F-gas regulation, however, applies precisely to this invisible infrastructure, and over the next 5–10 years it will seriously affect how much it costs to operate — or replace — these units.

This is not scaremongering. It is simply that the EU is following an established roadmap, and those who understand it in time can save money with smart decisions. Those who ignore it will pay more — year after year.

What is F-gas?

F-gas (fluorinated greenhouse gas) is an umbrella term: it refers to man-made compounds containing fluorine atoms that are used in industrial and commercial equipment as refrigerants, propellants or insulating materials. The most common types in the refrigeration industry are: R-410A, R-134a, R-407C, R-404A and R-32.

Technically these compounds are excellent: efficient, stable, non-toxic and non-flammable. The problem arises when they are released into the atmosphere: F-gases have an extremely strong greenhouse effect — some types are 2,000–4,000 times stronger than carbon dioxide. Because they break down only very slowly in the atmosphere, even a small leak has a serious climate impact.

Two key concepts are worth knowing:

GWP (Global Warming Potential) – global warming potential. It indicates how much stronger a given gas is as a greenhouse agent than CO₂ (which has GWP = 1 as the reference). For example, R-410A has a GWP of 2,088 — so leaking 1 kg of R-410A has the same climate impact as releasing 2,088 kg of carbon dioxide.
ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) – ozone depletion potential. The older HCFC-type refrigerants (e.g. R-22) were ozone-depleting and were therefore the first to be banned. Modern HFC and HFO refrigerants have an ODP of zero, so they pose no risk to the ozone layer — but they have a correspondingly stronger greenhouse effect.

What is CO₂ equivalent, and why does it matter?

The regulation does not express the quantity of refrigerant in kilograms but in CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e). The calculation is simple:

Charge (kg) × GWP = CO₂ equivalent (tonnes CO₂e)
Example: 6 kg R-410A × 2,088 = 12,528 kg = 12.5 tonnes CO₂ equivalent

This figure determines whether a unit is subject to registration and leak-testing obligations. The 5-tonne CO₂e threshold is the limit above which operator obligations apply — and an average industrial chiller of 10–20 kW with an R-410A charge can easily exceed it.

Why does the EU want to limit F-gases?

The EU's climate-protection goal is to become climate-neutral by 2050. F-gases account for only about 2% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions — but because their effect is so strong, even a relatively small reduction yields a large climate benefit. Moreover, the technology is already there: low-GWP or natural alternatives exist for almost every application.

For this reason the EU has operated a quota system since 2015: each year it reduces the amount of HFC that can be placed on the single market. By 2030 this quantity falls to one-fifth of the 2015 level, and to zero by 2050. The logic is simple: less supply, the same demand — prices rise. The longer someone operates equipment with high-GWP gases, the more expensive servicing will become.

The Hungarian National Climate Authority (NKVH) and its role

The National Climate Authority (Nemzeti Klímavédelmi Hatóság, NKVH) is the Hungarian state body responsible for enforcing EU and national F-gas legislation in Hungary. From 1 March 2025 its powers have been significantly expanded by the new legislative package (Act LXXXVII of 2024 and Government Decree 458/2024).

NKVH performs four main functions: it maintains a register of all equipment containing F-gas in Hungary (the Climate Gas Database); it certifies undertakings and individuals (only NKVH-certified companies may service such equipment); it inspects operators and imposes fines for non-compliance; and it provides data to the European Commission. The database is publicly accessible at nkvh.kormany.hu — it is worth checking whether obligations apply to your equipment.

How serious is this price rise? – The quota in numbers

Period	EU HFC quota	Effect on operators
Up to 2024	~42.8 million t CO₂e	Ample supply, moderate price
2025–2026	Significant cut begins	Price rise, supply tightening
By 2027	~21.6 million t CO₂e	Half the previous level – service-cost jump!
2030	~9 million t CO₂e	Drastic tightening – replacement increasingly difficult and expensive
2050	0	Complete phase-out – HFCs disappear from the market

Which refrigerants are most affected?

Refrigerant	GWP	Subject to quota?	Safety	Trend
R-410A	2,088	Yes	A1 – non-flammable	Phasing out, prices rising
R-134a	1,430	Yes	A1 – non-flammable	Quota tightening
R-454B	466	Yes (low GWP)	A2L – mildly flammable	R-410A successor; transitional compromise
R-1234yf	< 1	No ✓	A2L – mildly flammable	Future-proof, stable price
R-290 (propane)	3	No ✓	A3 – flammable (ATEX required)	Natural refrigerant, future-proof
None (free cooling)	0	No ✓	–	Zero F-gas obligations

What does this mean for your decision?

If you are buying a new industrial chiller now, the following considerations should guide your choice:

Your need / situation	Recommended solution
You do not want to deal with F-gas, and 25–35 °C leaving water is sufficient (oil cooling, hydraulics, compressor)	→ FREETECH or AKTECH (compressor-free, zero F-gas obligations)
You do not want to deal with F-gas, but a guaranteed 5–20 °C cooling water is required	→ PROPANTECH (R-290) (natural refrigerant, not subject to the quota)
Maximum energy savings + long-term future-proofing required	→ ECOTECH with the R-1234yf option (GWP < 1, not subject to the quota)
Standard industrial chiller, price is the priority (shorter investment horizon)	→ NOVATECH (R-410A) – Note: service costs will rise! R-454B is a better mid-term choice; can also be ordered with the R-1234yf option.
Inverter-driven, precision temperature control + low consumption	→ INVERTECH (R-410A) – Also subject to the quota; R-454B is preferable, consider the R-1234yf option.

Operator obligations in brief

If the chiller on your site contains F-gas and reaches the 5-tonne CO₂ equivalent threshold, the following obligations apply to you:

Registration – Notify the equipment to the NKVH Climate Gas Database. For existing equipment the deadline was 30 April 2025.
Leak testing – 5–50 t CO₂e: once a year | 50–500 t: every six months | above 500 t: quarterly + automatic leak-detection system mandatory.
Certified servicing – F-gas handling may only be carried out by an NKVH-certified undertaking. From 1 March 2025, certification is also required for handling R-290 and R-744.
Records – Every charge, top-up and recovery must be documented and presented to the authority on inspection.
Reporting – Annual reporting obligation to NKVH on the equipment in operation.

Important exceptions: FREETECH and AKTECH compressor-free units do not contain refrigerant — no F-gas obligations apply to them. PROPANTECH (R-290) is not subject to the HFC quota, but from 2025 the registration obligation also applies to it.

In short – three sentences that capture the essence

The EU is gradually phasing out conventional refrigerants (R-410A, R-134a) – their prices rise year after year, and they will disappear from the market by 2050. Anyone who chooses a future-proof solution now (R-1234yf, R-290 or a compressor-free system) saves money in the long run and avoids the burden of ever-tightening regulation. CIS offers a complete portfolio: we have solutions for conventional, low-GWP and F-gas-free needs alike.

Calculate your cooling demand – free calculator →

FAQ

If I buy an R-410A chiller now, when will it become a problem?

In the short term a dramatic change is unlikely, but the price rise is already noticeable. In 5–7 years' time the service cost (refrigerant top-up) is expected to be significantly higher. Over a 10–15-year horizon the equipment will inevitably need to be replaced, since the supply of R-410A will become increasingly difficult and expensive. In the medium term, a model ordered with R-454B will hold its value better.

Is R-290 (propane) safe in an industrial environment?

Yes, with appropriate ATEX protection. R-290 is a flammable substance (safety class A3), so the layout of the machine room and the placement of the unit are subject to specific requirements — but in an industrial environment this is feasible and well-established practice. In return, the price of the gas is stable, it is not subject to the quota, and its GWP is only 3.

When is free cooling (a compressor-free solution) the right choice?

If the leaving temperature required by the application is around 25–35 °C — e.g. hydraulic-oil cooling, compressor cooling, certain process-cooling tasks — then free cooling is the perfect solution. No compressor, no refrigerant, no F-gas obligations. However, if the technology requires cooling water of 5–20 °C (e.g. injection mould cooling), a compressor chiller is required.

What is the difference between ECOTECH and PROPANTECH from an F-gas perspective?

ECOTECH can be ordered with the R-1234yf option — this is an HFO-type refrigerant with a GWP of less than 1 and is not subject to the HFC quota. PROPANTECH operates with R-290 (propane) — a natural hydrocarbon with a GWP of 3. Both are future-proof, but they have different safety and installation requirements. The base charge for ECOTECH is R-410A — if future-proofing is the goal, the R-1234yf option must be specified at the time of ordering.

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