Is air conditioning maintenance required by law?

What the law does ask for

The refrigerant is what moves the heat around inside your air conditioning. In a split system it's usually an F-gas, a fluorinated greenhouse gas such as R32. The rules for it are in the EU F-gas Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/573, which applies directly in the Netherlands. There's no compulsory service in it.

What it does include is a leak check. If a system holds 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more in refrigerant, a certified technician has to check it for leaks. Up to 50 tonnes, that's at least every twelve months, or every two years if it has a leak detection system.

For air conditioning at home, it usually doesn't come to that. The Dutch government itself says the leak check only applies to a limited share of household equipment: systems holding a relatively large amount of refrigerant with a strong greenhouse effect.

In the Netherlands, the Dutch F-gas decree, the Besluit gefluoreerde broeikasgassen en ozonlaagafbrekende stoffen, prohibits breaking these EU rules and sets out the certificate requirements. The Dutch inspectorate, the ILT, enforces them.

What about the 3 kilos?

You sometimes read that a leak check is compulsory from 3 kilos of refrigerant. That was the rule until 2015. Then the 5 tonne CO2 equivalent threshold came in, with an exemption for equipment under 3 kilos until the end of 2016.

When it comes to leak checks, today's Regulation only mentions 3 kilos as an exemption. Hermetically sealed equipment in a home, holding less than 3 kilos and labelled as hermetically sealed, doesn't need leak checks. Hermetically sealed means every part containing refrigerant was sealed at the factory.

What you do have to do as the owner

Servicing isn't compulsory, but that doesn't mean you have no duties. According to the Dutch government, as the owner of an air conditioning system you're usually the ‘operator’ under the Regulation. That means you:

• do what you reasonably can to stop refrigerant leaking out
• have a leak fixed without undue delay once it's found
• only let a certified technician at a certified company work on the refrigerant
• have a certified technician recover the refrigerant before you get rid of the system

Got a large system, for example in a block of flats or a commercial building? Read how the leak check and the logbook work.

Why people have it done anyway

Even the Dutch government writes that there can be ‘other reasons beyond the law’ for wanting a maintenance contract. Milieu Centraal, the independent Dutch information centre on sustainable living, recommends having a split system cleaned regularly so it keeps running efficiently and well, and having it checked for refrigerant leaks.

Check your warranty too. Some manufacturers make servicing a condition, others only for an extended warranty. It's in the warranty terms for your brand.

What you can do yourself

• check the label to see which refrigerant it uses and how much
• keep the outdoor unit clear: don't put anything against it or in front of it
• check the manual to see what the manufacturer lets you clean yourself
• keep the warranty terms and the receipt for every service

What you shouldn't do yourself

• work on the pipes, connections or valves that carry refrigerant
• buy refrigerant, online or anywhere else
• connect a split system

Just look: don't put your hands or anything else inside the unit.