Inspections also apply to air conditioning in flats.

How much refrigerant does a standard residential air conditioner contain

A standard residential split unit (one outdoor and one indoor unit) typically contains up to one or two kilograms of refrigerant. In newer installations this is most commonly R32, while older ones use R410A.

Conversion to tCO₂eq: R32 versus R410A

Refrigerant R32 has a GWP (global warming potential) of 675. An apartment containing 1 kg of this refrigerant equates to 0.675 tCO₂eq (1 × 675 ÷ 1000), well below the 5 tCO₂eq threshold. Older refrigerant R410A has a GWP of 2 088, more than three times higher. With it, less than 2.4 kg of charge is sufficient for the equipment to reach the limit of approximately 5 tCO₂eq. Apartments with a single split unit will practically never reach this threshold, whether they use R32 or R410A. We discuss the thresholds and deadlines in detail in the article. When is air conditioning inspection mandatory.

When the obligation may indeed apply to an apartment

The situation changes for larger flats or penthouses with several multisplit units connected to a single circuit, or where multiple systems are combined into one operator record, for example, when an apartment building is assessed as a whole. In such cases, the refrigerant must be summed across the circuit and the conversion to tCO₂eq performed again.

When is standard servicing sufficient

If your residential air conditioning is not subject to the statutory obligation for regular leak tightness checks, this does not mean you can neglect it entirely. Routine maintenance is worthwhile, cleaning filters, checking condensate drainage and occasionally inspecting the condition of the unit, ideally once a year before the summer season. This is voluntary care, not a statutory inspection, and does not need to be carried out by a certified person.

When is it worth having your air conditioning checked after all?

Even without a legal obligation, it makes sense to book a leak test if you notice a significant drop in cooling capacity, hissing or unusual noises from the outdoor unit, or oil stains around joints, typical signs of refrigerant leakage. In such cases, the inspection and any necessary repair should be carried out by someone with F-gas certification. We describe this in detail in the article. How refrigerant leak detection is carried out.

How to verify the calculation for your own air conditioner

The refrigerant type and quantity are usually stated on the outdoor unit's nameplate or in the installation service documentation. Simply multiply the charge mass in kilograms by the GWP value of that specific refrigerant and divide by one thousand to obtain the result in tCO₂eq. If you are unsure of the exact refrigerant content, the most reliable approach is to have a technician perform the calculation during a routine inspection. For a single residential split unit, this is a quick verification taking only a few minutes, definitively establishing whether the obligation for regular inspections applies to you.

Difference between an apartment and a rented apartment building

For an individual flat owner with a split unit, the situation is practically always the same: a refrigerant charge of one to two kilograms remains well below the 5 tCO₂eq threshold regardless of the refrigerant type. However, the operator of the entire residential building may view the matter differently if they maintain a single joint record for multiple air-conditioning units in the building. In such cases, it is advisable to have a technician prepare a comprehensive overview of all installations and calculate them separately, rather than assuming that every flat "is as small as yours".