Refrigerants

Our partnership with leading supplier A-Gas ensures you have access to the widest and best range of refrigerants available on the market.

This includes all mainstream environmentally friendlier alternatives such as HFOs, HCs and carbon dioxide, plus very low Global Warming Potential HFC replacements.

For more information on replacement refrigerants please contact our Technical team or visit agas.co.uk

For a Copy of the A-gas Retrofit guide, click here

Due to F-Gas regulations, to allow us to supply refrigerant and pre-charged air conditioning equipment to you, we must have your latest F-Gas details and your company address registered on our system.

Please contact F-Gas.registration@wolseley.co.uk to provide your company certification
(REFCOM, F-GAS REGISTER or BUREAU VERITAS UK)

Trade credit customers - (Credit 7 digit Wolseley account number): Can purchase refrigerants with a valid F-Gas certification online or in branch.

Trade cash customer - (Cash Wolseley account number starting with 79*****): Can purchase refrigerants with a valid F-Gas certification in branch only, after an additional deposit equal to lost cylinder charge will be added to the order (see "Rental charges" tab below).

Cash customers - (Cash with no 7 digit Wolseley account number): Cannot purchase refrigerants - if you are a trade customer, why not sign up for a trade account

The below infographic explains the latest F-Gas regulations, click on the links below to download supporting F-Gas quides and technical documents.

Click here for full information on for technical personnel

Click here for the latest PURR report, or here for the leaflet from the British Refrigeration Association.

For a copy of the RAC Engineers Guide to F-gas, click here

The use and handling of refrigerants is subject to regulations, designed to protect the environment and ensure the health and safety of users and the public.

These include requirements for the competence of those handling refrigerant, which refrigerants may lawfully be used, and the need to minimise and prevent leakage from equipment.

Air conditioning inspections

Air conditioning inspections are intended to promote the improvement of the energy performance of buildings and are the final implementation of the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings which also saw the introduction of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the Display Energy Certificate (DEC). The following provides some basic information and guidelines.

Why does the air conditioning need inspecting?

The purpose of the Regulation is to improve efficiency, reduce electricity consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions of the system. Once the inspection has been completed, recommended improvements to the operation of the existing system will be given or there will be? opportunities to replace older less energy efficient or oversized systems with more energy efficient systems.

What needs to be inspected?

The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 requires all air conditioning systems, including all its components, with an output of more than 12kW, must to be inspected by an accredited inspector at least every five years.

For the purpose of the regulations, the air conditioning system is defined as one or more air conditioning units within a building controlled by a single person and are considered to comprise a single air conditioning system for the purpose of the regulations.

For example a building could have a number of small capacity splits installed, if the combined total capacity is over 12kW then each of these splits would require an inspection. For Scotland this differs slightly in that it would only apply if the systems were linked by way of a central control

It is only air conditioning systems that need to be inspected; refrigeration systems used solely for process applications are excluded.

Who is responsible for arranging inspections?

Inspections must be arranged by the building owners and managers who control (defined as the person who controls the technical function of the system not someone who only adjusts the temperature) air conditioning systems who have a statutory obligation and a duty of care for the operation and maintenance of the air conditioning system to arrange the inspection.

You may need to seek further clarification on this matter. It is the size of air conditioning system that the Regulation covers not the type of building, consequently it also applies to domestic properties as well.

When do they need to be carried out? (all outdated?)

For all systems first put into service on or after 1 January 2008, the first inspection must have taken place within five years of the date it was first put into service.

Air conditioning systems with an effective rated output is greater than 250kW the first inspection must be carried out by 4 January 2009.

For other air conditioning systems with an effective rated output greater than 12kW the first inspection must have been carried out by 4 January 2011, and then every five years after the first inspection.

Penalties

Local authorities (via Trading Standards Officers) are responsible for enforcing the requirement for air conditioning inspection reports. Failure to provide a valid air conditioning report would incur at present a fixed £300 penalty.

Should the building be sold or let without the report then this could have a negative impact on the transaction, as the buyer/tenants legal advisors will require sight of the report.

Current legislation

As from the 6th April 2012 it is now a requirement that all Air Conditioning Reports are lodged on the non-domestic EPC register.

The benefits for the government are twofold, firstly it will ensure compliance with the need for inspections to be carried and secondly the government will have the information to identify the amount of energy used by air conditioning systems and the amount of energy that could be saved if air conditioning systems are used more efficiently.

Further information

www.communities.gov.uk

Where you can download:

• Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings. A guide to air conditioning inspections.
• Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007

www.cibseenergycentre.co.uk

The CIBSE web site has further information and also has list of CIBSE accredited inspectors.

All A-Gas Refrigerant cylinders are subject to the following rental charges. Only Trade credit account customers can order online. Trade customers wishing to pay by cash must do so in branch and will be required to pay a deposit equivalent to the lost cylinder charge at time of purchase.

All cylinders remain the property of A-GAS UK Ltd at all times.

Hydrocarbon refrigerants

Nitrogen

Trace-A-Gas

Carbon dioxide

Oxygen and Acetylene

Using our refrigerant recovery cylinders

Recovery & Receiver Cylinders are available from your local branch. Find your nearest branch here.

It is a legal requirement that refrigerant removed from equipment must be recovered and disposed of safely by approved methods. This will normally mean returning it to us for disposal or recycling.

Use our recovery cylinders, with the distinctive yellow top and grey body, to ensure you comply with the law and complete your refrigerant handling records.

Initial charge & rental charges

Cylinder types and part numbers

Receiver rental cylinders

Initial charge & rental charges

Cylinder types & part numbers

A-gas oil & gas analysis service

Are you R32 Ready?

R32 is the next generation refrigerant for Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps. This HFC refrigerant is a preferred replacement gas for R410A. Here at Wolseley, we stock 10kg, 20kg & 45kg cylinders. Look out for the R32 ready stamp on eligible products

• GWP of 675, significantly lower than the GWP of R410A
• Slightly better energy efficiency than R410A
• Improved cooling capacity to that of R410A
• A single component refrigerant that can be charged from either the liquid or vapour phase
• Smaller charge requirements mean exchangers and components can be smaller and more compact
• Uses similar technology to that used with R410A
• Rated as A2L due to its low toxicity and mildly flammable nature
• A-Gas valve is a LH external, an R32 rated adaptor is required
• Due to its flammable nature R32 requires different charging and recovery procedures