Why Use a Licensed ARCtick Technician

The ARC administers refrigerant handling licences on behalf of the Australian Government under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management legislation. The scheme was introduced in 2005 with a clear purpose: minimise emissions of refrigerant gases that damage the ozone layer and accelerate global warming. Anyone who installs, services or decommissions equipment containing fluorocarbon refrigerant — which includes nearly every household air conditioner — must hold an appropriate ARC licence.

A licensed technician has demonstrated their qualifications, works to an Industry Code of Practice, and can be verified: the ARC issues a photo licence card showing the holder’s name, licence number and expiry date. If a technician can’t show you one, the ARC’s advice is simple — they can’t tick all the boxes.

The ARC handout is blunt about what unlicensed work can cost you. First, quality: an installer who hasn’t met the licensing requirements hasn’t demonstrated they’ll meet their legal obligations either, and sub-par installation usually surfaces later as paid rework. Second, your warranty: manufacturers can void product warranties where work wasn’t performed by appropriately licensed technicians. Third, the leak problem: poorly made refrigerant connections leak, and a leaking system loses performance and costs more to run every single day.

There’s also the legal side. Discharging fluorocarbon refrigerant to the atmosphere is illegal under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989, with real penalties. Some refrigerants are more than 2,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide as greenhouse gases — a single careless release outweighs years of careful energy saving.

Before any work begins on the refrigerant side of your system. In practice that means: a new split system installation, any repair that involves the refrigerant circuit, a re-gas, an annual service that includes performance testing, and the removal or replacement of an old unit (the gas must be recovered before the unit comes off the wall). Asking is normal — a professional expects it. You can also ask for the licence number and check it with the ARC.

One nuance worth knowing in Victoria: the ARCtick licence covers the refrigerant work, but the electrical connection of a split system is separate — it must be done by a licensed electrician who issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES). A complete, compliant installation needs both credentials on site. That’s the reason True Line installs are performed by a licensed electrical team with ARCtick refrigerant licensing, and every installation includes the COES in the published price.

Our credentials are printed in the footer of every page of this site: ARCtick licence L227165, Victorian Registered Electrical Contractor REC 38009, and full insurance. Quotes are fixed in writing before work begins, and if you’d like to see the licence card on the day — ask. If you’re comparing installers, our advice is the same as the ARC’s even when it doesn’t favour us: whoever you choose, make sure they can show you the tick.