Air Conditioning Inspections
Air conditioning inspections have been introduced to improve efficiency & highlight faults in existing systems in place throughout buildings in the UK. The trigger for air conditioning inspections is the size (effective rated output) of the system not the type of building and so the measures apply to homes, commercial and public buildings. By 4th January 2009 all air conditioning systems over 250kW must have their first inspection, and by 4th January 2011 all air conditioning systems over 12kW must be inspected by an Accredited Assessor. The inspections must thereafter be a maximum of 5 years apart. It is the responsibility of the person in control of the air-conditioning system (building owner/manager) to arrange for the Air Conditioning Inspection to be undertaken.
The purpose of the inspections and resulting reports is to ensure that building owners or managers are provided with basic information regarding the efficiency of the air-conditioning systems that they control, together with advice on how the energy efficiency or effectiveness of these systems might be improved. These inspections will highlight improvements to existing systems or opportunities to replace older, less efficient systems with new more efficient ones. Acting on the advice in the inspection report and rectifying faults or making appropriate improvements, where this is attractive and cost effective, may result in immediate improvements to the effectiveness of air-conditioning systems or reduce the operating costs.
The inspection will examine the refrigeration and air movement equipment that are part of air-conditioning systems and their controls. It will also examine any documentation that helps to understand the systems, or indicates the extent to which the systems have been maintained. The energy assessor is also required to estimate whether the system is suitably sized for the cooling loads in the treated spaces, and to provide advice on ways in which the performance of the system might be improved.
If you require any advice on Air Conditioning Inspections or have any systems requiring Inspections, please get in touch with our offices.