Austria refrigerant rules: FTG 2009, certification, fines and pressure equipment
What applies in Austria on top of the EU F-gas Regulation: the Fluorierte Treibhausgase-Gesetz 2009, certification bodies, fines up to 38,000 euro and the DGÜW-V pressure checks.
Key points
- The EU Regulation (EU) 2024/573 applies directly in Austria. The national Fluorierte Treibhausgase-Gesetz 2009 (FTG 2009) names the competent authorities and certification bodies and sets the penalties [1][4].
- The consolidated FTG 2009 in the legal-text archive (checked 29 October 2026) still refers to the repealed Regulation (EU) No 517/2014. No Austrian ordinance adapting the national rules to 2024/573 was found in the archive [1][4].
- Breaches of the leak check, record, certification and labelling duties are administrative offences with fines of 360 to 19,000 euro, and up to 38,000 euro on repetition (section 7(1) FTG) [1].
- Personal certificates are examined by the Prüfstellen of the Landesinnungen and issued by the Bundesinnungen. The ordinance BGBl. II 2/2011 still refers to categories I to IV under Regulation 2015/2067, which has been repealed by 2024/2215 [2][5].
- For pressure equipment, Annex 3 section 2 of the DGÜW-V sets separate monitoring rules for refrigeration and heat pump plants with the largest vessel up to 700, 3,000 and 6,000 bar·l [3].
EU regulation plus the national FTG 2009
Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases has applied directly in Austria since 11 March 2024 [4]. The national act is the Fluorierte Treibhausgase-Gesetz 2009 (FTG 2009, BGBl. I 103/2009, last amended by BGBl. I 140/2020 in the archived text). It names the federal minister responsible for the environment as the competent authority (section 2), regulates training and certification (sections 3 and 4), makes the Landeshauptmann the supervisory and market surveillance authority (sections 6 and 6a) and sets the penalties (section 7) [1].
Fines
Section 7(1) FTG lists breaches that are punished with a fine of at least 360 euro and up to 19,000 euro, and up to 38,000 euro in case of repetition. Attempts are punishable too. The list includes [1]:
- not preventing or repairing leaks, not having repairs checked by a certified person within one month, and not carrying out the required leak checks (section 7(1) no. 1 lit. a–b);
- missing or incomplete records, and missing or defective leak detection systems (lit. c–d);
- giving work to persons or companies without the required certificate, and doing such work without a personal or company certificate (no. 1 lit. g and no. 2);
- placing products on the market without the required labelling (lit. j).
Other breaches of the EU regulation that are not covered by paragraph 1 are fined with up to 9,000 euro, and up to 18,000 euro on repetition (section 7(2)) [1].
Personal and company certificates
Under section 3 FTG, people who install, service, repair, decommission, leak check or recover refrigerant from refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment must meet the qualification requirements of the EU certification regulation, and companies must be certified [1].
- Exam: the Prüfstellen are set up within the Landesinnungen of the Mechatroniker, of the Sanitär-, Heizungs- und Lüftungstechniker and of the Elektro- und Alarmanlagentechnik. They test the candidate, and relevant apprenticeship exams, master exams or school and university qualifications are taken into account to the extent that they cover the requirements (BGBl. II 2/2011, section 2) [2].
- Certificate: the Zertifizierungsstellen are set up in the corresponding Bundesinnungen. They issue the personal certificate after the Prüfstelle reports a passed exam (section 3 of the ordinance) [2].
- Company certificate: the federal minister responsible for the environment issues it (section 4(7) FTG). The application must show the number of certified staff, copies of their certificates and a declaration that the staff is enough for the expected volume of work and has access to the necessary tools and procedures (section 4 of the ordinance) [1][2].
- Foreign certificates: certificates issued by the competent bodies of other EEA states are treated as equivalent (section 4(8) FTG) [1].
The ordinance BGBl. II 2/2011 (consolidated version of 29 October 2026, last amended by BGBl. II 69/2018) still describes the certificates as categories I to IV under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2067. That regulation has been repealed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215, which sets certificates A1, A2, B, C, D and E. Holders of category I and II certificates may keep using them only if they update their knowledge and skills to the level of A1 and A2 respectively (Article 10) [2][5]. Ask the Landesinnung or Bundesinnung how the transition is handled in Austria.
Pressure equipment: DGÜW-V
The Druckgeräteüberwachungsverordnung (DGÜW-V, BGBl. II 420/2004, last amended by BGBl. I 161/2015) regulates the periodic monitoring of pressure vessels and pipes. Annex 3 section 2 has special rules for vessels and pipes in refrigeration and heat pump plants with a closed refrigerant circuit. The class depends on the pressure–volume product (PS·V) of the largest vessel in the plant [3]:
| Class (section) | Largest vessel PS·V | Main requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Small plants (2.1) | Up to 700 bar·l | Section 5 applies; no duty to notify a Kesselprüfstelle |
| Small commercial plants (2.2) | Up to 3,000 bar·l | Periodic checks under section 5(4)–(5); weekly function check by measuring temperatures; testing body after repairs or when insulation is removed |
| Large commercial plants (2.3) | Over 3,000 and up to 6,000 bar·l | Checks by a competent person appointed by the operator; daily temperature check; refill quantities monitored; external examination by a testing body every 6 years (high-quality design) or 4 years |
| Industrial plants (2.4) | Over 6,000 bar·l | As 2.3, but external examination every 4 years (high-quality design) or 2 years |
A monthly refill above 10 percent of the total charge points to a continuing leak and requires a defect examination with the testing body (sections 2.3 and 2.4). In plants under 2.3 and 2.4 filled with ammonia, the external examinations are due every 2 years (section 2.5 lit. f). The refill monitoring and the temperature checks can be replaced by level and temperature monitoring with an alarm (section 2.5 lit. a and c) [3].
Practical checklist
- Work from Regulation (EU) 2024/573 and check the current FTG 2009 on RIS for national details [1][4].
- Check that each person holds a valid certificate and that the company certificate is in place before taking on installation or service work [1][2].
- Keep records and leak check reports ready: missing records are fined under section 7(1) FTG [1].
- Find the largest vessel's PS·V and the DGÜW-V class of the plant, and plan the external examinations and daily or weekly checks that follow [3].
Terms in this article
Sources
- RIS – Fluorierte Treibhausgase-Gesetz 2009 (FTG 2009), BGBl. I Nr. 103/2009
- RIS – Verordnung über Qualifizierungs- und Zertifizierungsmaßnahmen für Kälte- und Klimaanlagen sowie Wärmepumpen, BGBl. II Nr. 2/2011
- RIS – Druckgeräteüberwachungsverordnung (DGÜW-V), BGBl. II Nr. 420/2004
- Regulation (EU) 2024/573 – EUR-Lex
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 – EUR-Lex