Cellar coolers are refrigeration equipment
27th August 2026
UK: The British Refrigeration Association has welcomed confirmation that restrictions on single-split air conditioning systems under the GB F-gas regulations do not apply to systems used solely for cooling products.
Manufacturers and suppliers were in uproar in December 2024 after UK government agencies declared that cellar coolers were included in the F-gas ban on the use of higher GWP refrigerants using higher GWP refrigerants in single-split air conditioning systems from 1 January 2025.
The EU F-gas regulations (517/2014), which were adopted into GB law following Brexit, banned the use of refrigerants with a GWP of 750 or more in new single-split air conditioning systems, containing less than 3kg of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
DEFRA and the Environment Agency declared that this ban also applied to single-split cellar cooling systems, which are commonly used throughout the UK licensed trade. The industry argued that these systems were clearly for product cooling and not for air conditioning as defined by the regulation.
The decision, if upheld, would have had severe consequences for licensed premises and serious ramifications for an industry worth around £10m per year.
At the eleventh hour, and after pressure from the BRA and other industry groups, the government agencies relented “pending further enquiries”.
The Environment Agency, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales have now issued an update on the ban, stating that the prohibition does not apply to stationary single split air conditioning systems which are used solely for the cooling of products. “These units,” it insists, “are considered to be refrigeration equipment.”
Air-to-water single split system air conditioning systems are also exempted, along with single-split air conditioning systems fixed to maritime craft.
“We welcome this clarification, which reflects the technical reality that cellar cooling is a refrigeration application,” said FETA chief executive Chris Yates. “The clarification provides greater certainty for manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and end users, while maintaining the wider move towards lower-GWP refrigerants.”
Related stories:
DEFRA suspends cellar cooler ban – 19 December 2024
UK: DEFRA has suspended the January 1 ban on cellar coolers following representations from industry representatives, product manufacturers and suppliers. Read more…
Urgent meeting sought over cellar cooler ban – 17 December 2024
UK: Graeme Fox, F-gas scheme director at Quidos, has sought an “urgent meeting” with DEFRA over its decision to include cellar coolers within the January 1 split system AC ban. Read more…
Cellar cooler trade in uproar over F-gas ban – 16 December 2024
UK: Manufacturers and suppliers of cellar coolers are in uproar after UK government agencies declared that such systems using higher GWP refrigerants will be banned from January 1. Read more…
