Air Conditioning Inspection Certificates
In accordance with CIBSE TM44 guidance and EPBD requirements
Low Energy Consultancy can help
LEC Ltd can conduct and provide ACI
certification for all Air Con installed
equipment 12kW and above. These
inspections will;
• ensure compliance with the EPBD
legislation,
• provide improvement advice,
• reduce running costs,
• audit effective maintenance,
• improved energy efficiency,
• ensures F-Gas register updates.
Air Conditioning Inspection Certificates
Advice and
consultancy services
help meet
legislative
requirements on efficiency,
Necessary
documentation
for yourto
buildings
installed
air conditioning,
maintenance and EU compliance.
Mandatory inspections
The inspection of air conditioning
systems in non domestic buildings with
a rated output of over 12kW became
mandatory in January 2011 in England
and Wales, under the Energy
Performance of Buildings (EPB)
Regulation 20 Article 15. This applies
to multiple systems as well as single
units so a site with four 4kW air
conditioning units also needs to be
inspected.
Air conditioning is an often overused
word, but in the context of the
inspections encompasses all systems
that either include mechanical cooling
directly or are served by equipment
including
mechanical
cooling.
Mechanical cooling refers to a system
that contains some form of refrigerant.
Reasons
The regulations have been put in place
as a means of assessing the energy
performance of a building and the
plant that serves it. As the quality and
frequency of system maintenance
affects efficiency, the inspections
represent an independent assessment
of whether the maintenance being
carried out is appropriate. Additionally,
the report, which is lodged with the
Department for Communities and
Local
Government,
will
make
recommendations on how to improve
system efficiency.
Our Inspectors
This may be through improved
maintenance procedures but will
certainly include references to systems
accessories, controls and general
operation that can all be adopted to
reduce power consumption and CO2
emissions. The report also identifies
whether mandatory requirements such
as the F Gas Register are in place.
Compliance with the regulations is
enforced by Trading Standards and
there are fines for those who don’t
conform.
F Gas Regulation
The F Gas Regulation is a further
mandatory requirement for clients who
operate systems containing HFC and
HCFC refrigerants, examples being
R22, R407c & 410a.
Both the client and installation/
maintenance contractor have an
obligation to keep a log book of the airconditioning units on site. This should
identify each system, any maintenance
carried out, the nature of any repairs,
any leakage checks (annual for small
systems, 6 months for systems
containing
more
than
30kg
of
refrigerant), refrigerant losses and also
any refrigerant added for each HFCF or
HFC system. These items should be
signed and dated by the engineer.
The F Gas Register has to be updated
after each system breakdown, service
call or maintenance visit irrespective of
whether it involves refrigerant loss or
replenishment. The log book should
reflect the lifetime of the system.
Low Energy Consultancy have a
dedicated team of accredited air
conditioning inspectors who are able to
provide level 3 (simple) and 4
(complex) inspections. The inspections
have to be repeated every 5 years.
Summary
Our recommendation would be that a
client
establishes
a
phased
replacement programme for R22
refrigerant based equipment for the
following reasons:-
•Dwindling availability of R22
Refrigerant – remanufacture
ceases at the end of 2014.
•Increased cost of refrigerant.
•Reduced availability of parts
and support.
•Requirement to monitor
obsolete equipment more
closely than current
replacement.
•Improved efficiency of
replacement equipment.
•Equipment is reaching an
age where it should be
considered for replacement.
TO SPEAK TO AN ENERGY ADVISOR
0845 1291188
www.lowenergyconsultancy.co.uk