REFCOM has finally signed an agreement with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirming its appointment as a mandatory F gas company certification body, but firms have less than a month to get a certificate in time to meet the July 4 deadline.
Company certification is a legal requirement under F Gas regulations for businesses that install, maintain or service stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning and/or heat pump equipment containing F Gases.

Key to the new regime are the new personnel refrigerant handling qualifications City & Guilds 2079 and CITB J11-J14 which have been developed specifically to meet the requirements of the F Gas regulations.

To obtain an interim company certificate, businesses must employ engineers holding either:

the old City & Guilds 2078 or CITB J01, or the new City & Guilds 2079 or CITB J11-J14

Interim certificates are valid until July 2011 to allow time for engineers to gain the new qualifications.

Interim certification for the period to July 2011 will cost :

£70 for sole traders; £90 for businesses with two to nine refrigeration engineers; £150 for businesses with 10 to 49 engineers; and £350 for businesses employing 50 or more engineers.

After July 2011 all businesses must hold a full company certificate.

To obtain a full company certificate, businesses must employ engineers that have the new City & Guilds 2079 or CITB J11-J14 qualifications. In addition, businesses must also prove that they have in place appropriate recovery systems and refrigerant handling procedures. The three-yearly, full certification fee for the above categories will be £140, £180, £365 and £800.

Businesses who have not yet contacted REFCOM should visit the new website which has full details of the application procedure at www.refcom.org.uk