Compared with its sources on 5 November 2026
How do you check the F-gas register for an installer?
Ask which approved body certified the company, get the certificate number and confirm both with that body. Ask too what qualification the engineer holds. Anyone in Leamington Spa hiring an air conditioning installer can do this in a few minutes, and a good firm will not mind being asked. That includes us.
Get a quote
Name, number, postcode. We call you back to talk it through.
What must a company have?
Under the GOV.UK guidance, firms need certifying by an approved body before they install, repair, maintain or decommission stationary equipment containing F gas on anyone else's behalf. Sole traders count as firms here. The certificate must be renewed every three years. A firm working only on its own equipment does not need one, though its engineers still need qualifications. Car and van air conditioning is exempt. Source: GOV.UK.
Who issues company certificates?
For refrigeration and stationary air conditioning and heat pumps, GOV.UK names three bodies: Refcom Certification, F-Gas Register (Quidos) and Bureau Veritas. "F-Gas Register" is the name of one of these, which is why people often search for it as though it were one central list. There is no single national list set out on the GOV.UK page, so ask which body the firm uses and check with that body directly. Source: GOV.UK.
What must the engineer have?
| Category | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Category 1 | All activities: install, service, maintain, decommission |
| Category 2 | The same on smaller systems, under 3kg or (when hermetically sealed) under 6kg, apart from decommissioning |
| Category 3 | Recovering refrigerant only, on those smaller systems |
| Category 4 | Leak checks, without breaking into the circuit |
The qualification belongs to the person, even when they work for someone else. GOV.UK lists City and Guilds, the Building Engineering Services Association and LCL Awards as accredited organisations. Source: GOV.UK.
What should you actually ask for?
- The company's full legal or trading name, exactly as certified.
- Its certificate number, expiry date and issuing body.
- The name and category of whoever will handle the refrigerant.
- If a subcontractor does the work, the same details for them.
Keep a copy with your paperwork. You may want it when you sell the house, or if something goes wrong. Be wary if the name on the certificate does not match the name on your quote.
Does a pre-charged unit get round the rules?
Do not rely on that. Selling a kit does not remove the need for qualified hands on the refrigerant, and the rules on who may install apply to the work and not to the box. Before you buy a kit online, ask an installer whether they will connect it and on what terms.
What if you think someone is not certified?
Ask them first, since it may be a simple mix-up over a trading name. If you are still unsure, contact the certification body. GOV.UK says to report anyone working without the right certification to the Environment Agency. Source: GOV.UK.
Common questions
Is F-gas the same as Gas Safe?
No. Gas Safe covers gas appliances such as boilers. F-gas covers refrigerants, and a Gas Safe engineer is not automatically qualified to handle them.
Does a service engineer need the certificate too?
Yes. The rules cover repair and maintenance as well as installation. A Category 4 holder can only leak check.
Do you hold these?
Please ask us when you ring, and treat our answer just as you would anyone else's, by checking it with the issuing body.
Sources
Before you ring
These details let us give you a better answer on the first call.
- Your postcode
- Flat, house or workplace
- Whether the building is listed
- Which rooms, roughly how big, and which way they face
- Who owns the outside walls, if you lease or rent
Ready to have it done? Air conditioning in Leamington Spa explains what we fit and look after, and where we travel.
If you want this done
Air conditioning installation
Survey, consents, fitting and start-up, in that order.
Air conditioning servicing
Yearly care and leak checks, on systems we did and did not fit.
Air conditioning repairs
Leaks, drips, error codes and systems that have stopped cooling.
Other guides
How much does air conditioning cost?
Fitted prices, electrics, running costs and the extras people forget.
Does air conditioning need planning permission?
The permitted development conditions, with the Leamington exceptions.
Can you have air conditioning in a listed building?
Consent, siting and humidity, for Grade II and Grade II* homes.
Is air conditioning allowed in a flat?
Leases, freeholders, planning limits and flats above shops.
Is air conditioning for a bedroom worth it?
How hot is too hot, what size to buy and what a night costs.
Air conditioning for a loft conversion: what works?
Why lofts overheat, and where units go under a sloping roof.
What size air conditioner do you need?
A room size table in kW and BTU, plus when to go larger.
Portable against fixed air conditioning: which wins?
An honest comparison, including when a portable is the better buy.
Want us to call you?
Tell us where you are and what is too hot or too cold. Or ring 01926 967778.