Guide
Air conditioning inspections: the 12kW threshold and the 5 year rule
Updated
This is the HVAC duty most often missed, because it is not a maintenance task and no contractor gets an automatic prompt to do it. It falls on whoever controls the system.
The threshold and the interval
Gov.uk's guide to air conditioning inspections states that all air conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kW must be regularly inspected by an energy assessor, and that the inspections must be no more than five years apart. It also states that only systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kW are affected, and that this includes systems consisting of individual units each under 12kW whose combined effective rated output is more than 12kW.
- Effective rated output is defined as the maximum calorific output in kW stated by the manufacturer as delivered during continuous operation while complying with the useful efficiency the manufacturer indicates.
- One or more units in a building controlled by a single person are treated as one air conditioning system for the purposes of the regulations.
- Scope is England and Wales. Gov.uk states that buildings in Northern Ireland and Scotland are subject to separate regulatory requirements not covered by this guidance.
- This is separate from F gas. The guidance is explicit that it does not cover inspection under the fluorinated greenhouse gas regulations, which sit outside the energy performance regime.
Who is responsible
The duty falls on the person who controls the operation of the system, which gov.uk describes as the person who controls its technical functioning, not someone who merely adjusts the temperature. The owner usually controls the system even where day-to-day operation is contracted out, although a facilities management or servicing contract may specify the FM or servicing company as controller, in which case that company may also become responsible. The guidance is clear that the landlord or building occupier retains a parallel duty to ensure the system has been inspected.
- Keep the report
- The person controlling the system must keep the most recent inspection report provided by an energy assessor.
- Pass it on
- The report must be given to anyone taking over responsibility for controlling the system.
- 3 months if you inherit nothing
- If control passes to you and you were not given a report by the previous operator, the system must be inspected within three months of you taking over control.
Who can inspect, and what you get
The inspection must be carried out by an energy assessor who is a current member of an accreditation scheme, and gov.uk states that only reports produced and lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register by accredited energy assessors are valid. Reports produced on or after 6 April 2012 must carry a valid reference number, which can only be generated once the report has been lodged.
- The likely efficiency of the system and suggestions for improvement.
- Any faults found during the inspection and suggested actions.
- The adequacy of equipment maintenance, and of the installed controls and control settings.
- The size of the installed system relative to the cooling load, and whether it is oversized.
- A summary of findings and the key recommendations.
Gov.uk states there is no legal requirement to act on the recommendations. The duty is to have the inspection done, keep the report and pass it on. Whether you act on it is a commercial decision, though an oversizing or control finding is often the cheapest energy saving in the building.