A lot of building owners or facilities managers in the industry will know about the TM44 air conditioning inspection (ACI).  However, some admit that they do not know when their inspection is due or even why they are required. JCW has a specialist division that carry out TM44 inspections, we are regularly asked about what is involved and importantly, are they required? So, why is there a need for TM44 inspections for your air conditioning system? Read on to find out more.

It is quite a responsibility managing the facilities of commercial premises, large or small, and JCW understands that when HVAC and electrical assets are broken, obsolete or inefficient, they can be costly to repair or replace let alone the damaging effects on the environment. As a company, we take our corporate and social responsibilities very seriously, we believe that all industries have a duty of care to protect and preserve the environment that surrounds their communities.

Inspection, maintenance and cleaning programmes maintain the ability of the air conditioning system to provide healthy and comfortable environments for building occupants, limiting the escape of refrigerant and ensuring the safety of equipment. Building owners and managers who control air conditioning systems have statutory obligations and duties of care in the operation and maintenance of air conditioning systems.

When would a TM44 Air Conditioning Inspection be required?

Current legislation states that all air conditioning systems with a cooling output of more than 12 kw should be regularly inspected by an accredited TM44 energy assessor, however, each inspection is only required every five years after the installation.

The TM44 Inspection Report

A TM44 Air Conditioning Inspection would include:

• A review of the air conditioning systems, and their controls

• Examination of all documentation and advice on recommended requirements

• An estimation of whether systems are suitably sized for cooling loads in treated spaces

• Advice on any improvement recommendations which might involve simple low cost no cost solutions or replacement and alternative options.

The purpose of the inspection and the resulting report are to ensure that building owners or managers are provided with basic information that gives an indication of the likely efficiency of the air conditioning systems that they control, together with some initial advice on how energy efficiency or effectiveness of these systems might be improved.

All of the organisations involved in the preparation of this guidance recommend that the advice be considered, and that appropriate rectification or improvement be made where this is attractive and cost effective.  Following up the advice in the assessor’s report could often result in immediate improvements to the effectiveness of air conditioning systems and/or to reduction in the operating costs.  In some cases the costs of providing both heating and cooling may be reduced, where it may have been identified that these two systems are unnecessarily in use at the same time due to inappropriate controls or settings.

To speak to someone at JCW about getting your air conditioning equipment TM44 inspected, call us now.

What if I only have 3 small systems each giving a cooling output of 5kw?

Department for Communities and Local Government explains in their “guidance to air conditioning inspections for buildings”, that any “systems consisting of individual units which are less than 12kW but whose combined effective rated output is more than 12kW” is subject to the mandatory TM44 inspection per 5 years.

What happens if I have forgotten to have my TM44 air conditioning inspection completed?

The fine for uninspected sites with air conditioning systems providing an overall output of more than 12kw has a set fee of £300 and an additional £200 upon failure to provide the outstanding report within 7 days of request. The Air Conditioning Inspection Reports are lodged on the Landmark Registry Government database. Enforcement Officers can check at any time whether a commercial premise is compliant with the legislation.

Why is the TM44 Air Conditioning Inspection important?

Aside from avoiding the fines and the negative reputation that could be perceived by failure to comply with legislation, commercial building owners are actually saving more than their company’s reputation by investing in the TM44 Air Conditioning Inspection.

An energy efficient site with effective air conditioning systems could save more on maintenance and break down repair costs as well as perform on a much lower energy consumption. Lower energy consumption equals lower energy bills.

Our communities’ growing concerns over climate change and the exhaustion of our world’s limited natural resources is a huge reason why companies should have all their equipment assessed, air conditioning or otherwise. Savings on energy consumption has become more than just about saving money, we need to do more to help save our planet.

If you have air conditioning equipment on your site and are unsure if you require a TM44 Inspection, call us now to find out how we can help.