DEFRA delays GB F-gas phase down
16th May 2026
UK: The UK government has announced a delay to its proposed F-gas phase down steps from 1 January 2027, admitting that it requires “further work” following its recent consultation with industry.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) opened industry consultation in November last year after publishing proposals to adjust the existing schedule from 2027 and to add further steps from 2030 until 2050. The proposal would have reduced the HFC quota in England, Scotland and Wales by 46.1 million tonnes of CO2e from 2027-2050.
DEFRA has now announced that following an assessment of the 137 consultation responses, it has concluded that further work is required on changes to the HFC phasedown in Great Britain.
“To give industry clarity ahead of 2027, we confirm that we will not legislate in 2026 to change the phasedown steps from 1 January 2027,” it stated on the government website. “For 2027, this means that the relevant HFC phasedown step in Annex 5 of the F-gas Regulation will continue to apply.”
The delay was welcomed by Chris Yates, chief executive of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations, who added: “This was likely to be the outcome as Government was running out of time to make the necessary legislative changes.”
The decision delays a more stringent phase-down, but Yates points out that, under the existing legislation, the GB market is still facing a reduction in 2026 quota of 22.6% on 1 January 2027 and a further 12.5% reduction in 2030. “These are still significant changes and really important that refrigeration contractors are planning ahead for this,” he stated on LinkedIn.
However, Tim Rook, chief markets officer of heat pump manufacturer Clade Engineering Systems, criticised the postponement, describing it as a poor response. “It’s just more delay, no actual decision, so we have yet more uncertainty.”
DEFRA insists that it remains committed to introducing ambitious reform to the HFC phase down, and says it intends to publish a report summarising responses and an outline of next steps later this year.
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