BRL 1009 min readUpdated 30 mei 2026

The BRL 100 annual check: what the auditor expects

The annual BRL 100 surveillance audit tests whether your refrigerant administration adds up. We walk through a typical annual check step by step — what the auditor checks and how to open the door well prepared.

BRL 100 and STEK are Dutch national certification schemes — full support today is NL-only. See our honest country-coverage disclosure.

For many companies the BRL 100 annual check is the moment of truth: an auditor comes round, asks for two installation records and looks at whether the paperwork matches reality. Are you prepared?

What exactly does the annual check involve?

After the initial certification audit for the BRL 100 certificate, a periodic surveillance audit follows every year. It zooms in on one question in particular: does your refrigerant balance add up, and can you demonstrate it? That makes it closely interwoven with the logbook obligation that follows from the European F-gas rules.

Please note: in practice this audit is sometimes called "K25000", but that is incorrect — BRL K25000 is Kiwa's separate certification scheme for CO safety in gas-fired combustion installations under the Gasketelwet, not for refrigerant administration. See what is the Gasketelwet?.

In concrete terms it means that every gram of refrigerant you purchase, top up, recover or dispose of has to be recorded somewhere — and that this record reconciles with your physical stock. The annual check tests whether that is genuinely the case in practice.

What does the auditor check?

In practice it comes down to four things:

Cylinder administration. Per cylinder an ID, empty weight, full weight, refrigerant type, location, owner. The auditor has a set of scales in the van.
Balance of changes. The sum of all incoming/outgoing changes must reconcile with the cylinder stock. A difference of more than 1 kg per year = finding.
Leak checks. For installations with more than 5 tonnes CO₂ equivalent (≈ 2.4 kg R-410A) a leak check must have been carried out annually. No report = finding.
Technicians' F-gas certificates. Every technician who touches refrigerant must hold a valid BRL 200 certificate. Expired = finding.

The typical pitfall

Nine out of ten companies don't get their refrigerant balance to add up. Not because they are pulling tricks — but because a technician noted 0.5 kg R-32 on a work order and nobody ever linked that to the cylinder administration. That is an Excel problem.

With the refrigerant module this can no longer happen: as soon as a technician records a change on a work order, the cylinder *and* the installation are adjusted automatically. The balance adds up by definition.

What does a finding cost you?

A finding is not automatically a disaster, but it is a cost item. The precise consequences differ per certification body, but broadly speaking three levels apply:

Minor non-conformity. You are given a period to correct the shortcoming and to demonstrate that it has been resolved. Usually it is enough to supply the correct documents after the fact.
Structural shortcoming. If, for example, your balance fails to add up year after year, the certification body can require an additional (re-)audit — at your expense — before you keep the certificate.
Suspension or withdrawal. In the most extreme case you lose the quality mark. You may then no longer deliver under BRL 100, with immediate consequences for tenders and ongoing contracts.

The biggest costs are often indirect: a day of re-audit, lost tenders or a client who walks away. Records that continuously add up are therefore not only an audit requirement, but simply cheaper as well — we work that through in what does work order software cost?.

Preparing for the audit itself

One day before the audit:

In the reports module, generate the "BRL 100 audit export". One PDF with all records.
Check in technicians / certificates whether all F-gas certificates are valid (Koldwerk warns 90/60/30/7 days in advance, so this shouldn't come as a surprise).
Print one installation record on paper for the auditor — the rest available digitally via your laptop.

Frequently asked questions

What is the BRL 100 annual check?

The annual check is the periodic surveillance audit that belongs to the BRL 100 process certificate. Every year an auditor checks whether your refrigerant balance is correct, whether changes are traceable, and whether leak checks have been carried out on time. It is closely connected to the F-gas logbook obligation.

How often does the BRL 100 auditor come round?

Annually. The check takes place unannounced or by appointment; the auditor typically asks for two installation records and checks whether the paperwork matches reality.

What does the auditor check specifically?

A cylinder balance that adds up (opening + purchases − consumption = closing), traceable changes per work order and technician certificate, and leak checks carried out at the correct frequency according to CO₂ equivalent (5/50/500 tonnes).

What does a finding at this audit cost?

It depends on the severity. A minor finding is given a period to remedy it (typically 30 days); a repeat finding or a major finding can lead to a follow-up audit, conditional certification or, in extreme cases, suspension of BRL 100.

Is this the same as BRL K25000?

No — that is a different and commonly made confusion. BRL K25000 is Kiwa's own certification scheme for CO safety in gas-fired combustion installations (Gasketelwet), not for refrigerants. The annual check on this page is about the periodic surveillance audit that belongs to the F-gas company certificate (BRL 100). See [what is the Gasketelwet?](/kennisbank/wat-is-de-gasketelwet) for BRL K25000.