TM44 Air Conditioning Inspections

The Law

The EU introduced the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in 2003. The UK Government followed with the

Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulation in 2007.

Air-conditioning uses a large amount of grid electricity which gives rise to high CO2 and is one of the major factors behind rapid global climate change

The inspection’s sole focus is to seek improvements in energy efficiency. This will result in lower energy bills for the occupier and reduced CO2 emissions. The system is thoroughly inspected by an accredited engineer.

Recommendations are then made to improve the operation of the system. We often find that we can recommend no cost or low cost solutions to quickly reduce running costs by at least 10% as a direct result of our inspection.

For new systems put into service after 1 January 2008, the first inspection must take place within 5 years of when it was first commissioned.

Larger systems with an output over 250 kW (approx. 25,000 sq ft office building) must have been inspected by 4 January 2009.

Small and medium-sized systems with an output greater than 12 kW (approx 2,000 sq ft office or retail unit) must have been inspected by 4 January 2011.

If you have taken over control of an air-conditioning system from 4 January 2011 and you have not been given an inspection report, you must ensure that the system is inspected within three months of taking over such control.

The inspections must be carried out every 5 years, as a minimum.

The legal responsibility to have the inspection carried out lies with the person who controls the technical functioning of the system. For multi-let buildings, such as offices and shopping centres, this is usually the tenant’s responsibility. The inspection must be carried out by an independent consultant who recommends cost-effective improvements.