Key Dates for: Scotland
For existing buildings, inspections will be phased in as follows:
- 4 January 2011 - For all systems with an effective rated output of more than 250KW first inspections must have occurred by this date.
- 4 January 2013 - For all other systems with an effective rated output of more than 12KW first inspections must have occurred by this date.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- 1st January 2008 – First inspections of air-conditioning systems over 12kW put into service since this date must have a first inspection within five years of it first being put into service.
- 4th January 2009 – First inspection of all existing air-conditioning systems over 250kW must have occurred.
- 4th January 2011 – First inspection of all remaining air-conditioning systems over 12kW must have occurred.
The EPBD is enacted by the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations in England and Wales, the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 in Scotland, and the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (Northern Ireland) Regulations in Northern Ireland, which require air-conditioning systems rated at 12kWr output or greater, whether in dwellings or non-dwellings, to be inspected at regular intervals of not more than five years.
Air-conditioning systems with rated cooling outputs over 12kWr within scope of this scheme could comprise
- Centralised systems: in which refrigeration equipment delivers cooling through air handling unit(s) and/or pumped water circuits. These may include constant volume (CV) systems, variable air volume (VAV) systems, systems using fan coil units (FCUs) or induction units, and systems using active or passive chilled beams.
- Individual split systems: in which a single ‘outdoor unit’ containing refrigeration and heat rejection equipment is connected to an individual ‘indoor unit’ delivering cooling. These may also be called ‘split package units’.
- Multi-split systems: in which one or more ‘outdoor units’ containing refrigeration and heat rejection equipment are each connected to a number of ‘indoor units’ delivering cooling. These may also be called ‘multi-split package units’ and include variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems. The indoor part of these systems may be called an ‘indoor unit’ or ‘cassette’.
- Distributed heat pump systems: in which a series of individual reversible heat pumps in the treated spaces are linked by a common water circuit to a central boiler and to heat rejection plant. Such systems may commonly be called ‘versatemp-type’ systems following the trade name of the original patent holder, but there are other systems that operate to the same principle.
The aim of the inspection required by the European Union’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is to give building owners and operators information about the performance of their building’s air-conditioning system/s and to identify opportunities to save energy and cut operating costs.
Under the Directive, owners and managers of air-conditioning systems have clear responsibilities to make sure that these inspections are carried out, as well as a statutory duty to do so.
Air-conditioning Energy Assessors must be registered with an approved Accreditation Scheme to be able to carry out an inspection and produce the associated written Inspection Report. Please call for more information or to book an assessment.