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Air conditioning inspections for buildings An introduction Steve Gill HEVAR Seminar 24 th September 2008

Background On 4 January 2003 the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union published Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD). This required all Member States to bring into force ‘ the necessary laws, regulations and administrative provisions to comply with the Directive ’.

Background Article 9 Inspection of air-conditioning systems With regard to reducing energy consumption and limiting carbon dioxide emissions, Member States shall lay down the necessary measures to establish a regular inspection of air-conditioning systems of an effective rated output of more than 12 kW. This inspection shall include an assessment of the air-conditioning efficiency and the sizing compared to the cooling requirements of the building. Appropriate advice shall be provided to the users on possible improvement or replacement of the air-conditioning system and on alternative solutions.

Background In England and Wales, the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulation 2007 implement Article 9 of the EPBD that requires: - The regular inspection of all air-conditioning systems with rated outputs over 12kW, at intervals not greater than 5 years by an accredited inspector.

Background The 4th of January 2006 was the official deadline by which the 25 Member States had to transpose the Directive into national law. Only for the 2 last requirements (certifications and inspections), Member States may, because of lack of qualified and/or accredited experts, have an additional period of three years (before January 2009) to apply fully.

Background For systems over 250 kW they have until 4 th January 2009 to have completed the first inspections, and for the remaining systems over 12 kW they have until 4 th January 2011. Building owners failing to meet deadlines face fines from £300 to £5,000 depending upon the building size Enforcement by Trading Standards Officers

Background A joint working group led by CIBSE with ACRIB/IoR, BSRIA, FETA, HVCA and with support from DCLG has developed guidance on Article 9 implementation. ▪ CIBSE TM 44 published in June 2007 ▪ CLG: Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings – A guide to air-conditioning inspections for buildings in June2008

Guidance TM 44 Methodology for Inspections of AC systems greater than 12 kW Gives guidance on assessment and reporting Requires accredited inspectors

Guidance Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings: A guide to air-conditioning inspections for buildings. Free to download from: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/airconditioning

Guidance consistency? CLG guidance page 10: ‘ Building owners and managers should not expect the air-conditioning inspection to identify hazards or unsafe aspects of the installation, operation or maintenance of systems that should be identified and addressed by other arrangements..’

Guidance consistency? TM 44 page 1: ‘ Inspectors have a duty to comply with relevant health and safety legislation. This includes a duty to draw the building owner or manager’s attention to obvious instances of inadequate maintenance or neglect, where these might have implications for the health and safety of building occupants or the public.’

Scope – Aim of Inspection The primary aim of the inspection is to: - provide building owners and operators with information regarding the performance of their buildings and plant, to identify opportunities to save energy and cut operating costs The inspection should as far as possible be carried out by making visual observations of the plant and other visual indicators such as refrigerant sight glasses, pressure/temperature or filter gauges, although where these are not available the inspector may be able to take some test readings.

Assessment of Efficiency The assessment is intended to provide a broad view of the design and operation of the system without putting a numerical value on its performance. - It should address areas in which efficiency could be compromised from the design intent, or where aspects of the system could be improved - It should include views required by the EPB Regulations on the size of the system compared with the cooling load and on alternative solutions. The assessment is based on observations and inspections concerning a number of key factors.

Factors affecting air-conditioning system efficiency - the inherent efficiency of the system - its state of maintenance - Its effective control The inherent efficiency of the system is affected by the efficiencies of : - the refrigeration equipment that removes the heat - heat rejection to atmosphere - the delivery of the cooled air or water to, or other means of absorbing heat from, the treated spaces.

Preparation for the Inspection In some buildings there may be useful records of the air conditioning equipment installed, its maintenance, and its energy consumption. In more recent buildings these may be found where a suitable log book has been provided Most larger buildings should have details including commissioning results, O&M manuals, H&S files, and records of maintenance and service Information required for the inspection is listed in section 2.1 of TM44 for simpler packaged equipment and section 3.1 of TM44 for central systems. The building owner or manager should be advised to make such information available at the time of the inspection.

Extent of the Inspection - Time The time taken for the inspection will depend on the extent of the systems installed. A simple 12 kW split ‘packaged’ unit – Average 2 hours It is anticipated that larger centralised systems that include indoor/outdoor cooling plant, AHUs and zone controls will take a minimum of 2 days to complete. Some of the tasks (e.g. examining inside AHUs or ducts) would probably need to be undertaken outside normal working hours, and must be carried out in collaboration with the building owner or manager, and be subject to a proper risk assessment.

Reporting A report of the air conditioning inspection should be prepared and signed by the inspector. - The results of any measurements or calculations reviewed or made for the inspection - Comments on the likely efficiency of the installation and suggestions of improvement - Comments on any faults identified during the inspection and suggested actions - Comments on the adequacy of equipment maintenance and suggestions for improvement - Comments on the adequacy of installed controls and control settings and suggestions for improvement - Comments on the size of the installed system in relation to the cooling load and suggestions for improvement - Comments concerning alternative solutions (see TM44 section 5) - Summary of the findings and recommendations of the inspection.

Provision of Advice - The EPB Regulations require the provision of advice, but do not impose any requirement on the system owner or manager to act on that advice - The benefit of the inspection to the manager would be the provision of appropriate advice on possible improvement or replacement of the air conditioning system and on alternative solutions that would increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

Becoming an accredited Inspector 1. Undertake training with an approved training provider and assessor. 2. Download the National Occupational Standards document to provide evidence that you satisfy the competence criteria in APEL form (step 3) 3. Download and fill in the Accreditation of prior learning (APEL) form, making reference to the NOS is step 2. 4. Download table of professional bodies and membership grades meeting the professional requirements of Unit and 2 o the NOS 5. Download CCMP 006 CIBSE Certification Code of Conduct for Energy Assessors.

Becoming an accredited Inspector (Continued) Submit your certificate from your training course to CIBSE Certification along with: - a) your application form - b) evidence of your PI cover - c) details of CPD undertaken in the last two years. - d) a signed code of conduct and evidence of your professional membership (if any).

Thank you for listening Steve Gill Energy Efficient Solutions [email_address] mobile: 07970 786893

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