In England and Wales the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 implement Articles 7-9 of the Directive. They require inspection of all air conditioning systems with rated outputs over 12kW at intervals not greater than 5 years.

New systems brought into use after January 2008 will not require inspection until they have been in use for a maximum of 5 years. These inspections may only be completed by an accredited Air Conditioning System Energy Assessor (ACSEA).

The EPBD Regulations define an ‘air conditioning system’ as: a combination of all the components required to provide a form of air treatment in which the temperature is controlled or can be lowered and includes systems which combine such air treatment with the control of ventilation, humidity and air cleanliness.

The rated cooling output of an air conditioning system could exceed 12kW where a number of individual units of less than 12kW rated cooling load output are installed to provide distributed cooling within the building under the operator’s demise, irrespective of whether or not the individual units are linked to a common control system. Low capacity packaged units such as ‘through the wall’ units may therefore need to be assessed where the total cooling capacity in the building exceeds 12kW.

The aim of the Air Conditioning Inspection Report is to outline any areas within the operation of all HVAC equipment that would improve in performance and reduce energy costs, with the introduction of any no-cost/ low-cost initiatives and any capital investment opportunities that may arise.

The survey covered the inspection of air conditioning systems, measuring the performance and powers of fans, and associated cooling electrical load, comparing performance with industry standards to identify energy savings whilst maintaining their minimum performance requirements. A number of other observations are made during the inspection; these cover issues such as the condition of the air conditioning systems, appropriateness of maintenance regimes, cooling/building loads, fresh air volumes, air change rates and the control of ancillary units.