Air Conditioning Inspections and TM44 Reports

If you own or manage a building and you have air conditioning systems present, did you know that there is a legal requirement to have TM44 inspection reports carried out? The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) led to the introduction of new legislation (the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2007) with time-sensitive deadlines that all property managers and owners should have reacted to - if you haven't complied with this legislation, you are contravening the law.

The deadline requirements for this legislation has already passed, although the resulting TM44 reports are only valid for a period of 5 years, so they will need to be repeated within this timescale. For buildings with existing systems, the deadlines for inspection were January 2009 (for systems with over 250kW cooling capacity) and January 2011 (for systems with over 12kW cooling capacity). If you have had a system installed in your building post-January 2008, you must make sure that you have an air conditioning inspection carried out before 5 years have elapsed.

Air Conditioning Reports

Not only are these inspection reports a legal requirement, but businesses are also now waking up to the fact that they have a responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint. An inspection of your air conditioning systems and the subsequent air conditioning report your assessor will give you will help you to do just that.

A TM44 inspection report will give you an analysis of the efficiency of your air con system and provide recommendations for improvements. These improvements could include suggestions for your maintenance and repair routine, or ideas of how to operate your air con system to improve its efficiency. They will also calculate whether your air con system is the appropriate size for its location and purpose. By taking the measures recommended in your air conditioning report, you will not only be complying with legislation but you may also find that you can reduce your energy bills.

Your assessor should work according to the guidelines set out in the TM44 document, which has been professionally developed as the industry standard for all air conditioning inspections.?

Complying with Air Conditioning Regulations

If you haven't yet met your legal obligations to have your air con systems inspected, then you are strongly advised to rectify this as soon as possible. Corporate and social responsibility is becoming an ever more important issue for big companies and you also have a liability to provide a safe working environment for their staff. As well as meeting legislative requirements, having your air con system inspected and assessed will ensure that you are protecting your employees and visitors to your premises from unsafe equipment and leaking gases.

If you fail to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations, you can face a fine of 瞿300 from your local authority - this fine is per building and additional fines will be imposed if you continue to fail in your legislative responsibilities. Many building owners and managers have not met these vital regulations, make sure you're not one of them - arrange for a inspection today.