Air con inspection figures scrutinised

H&V News has learned that over 90 per cent of systems are in breach of the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

At least 50,000 systems should have been inspected by January 2009, but apparently fewer than 2,500 have been. And by January 2011, many thousands more will fall into the same trap.

Under the terms of the Directive, all fixed air conditioning systems with a cooling capacity over 12kW must be inspected.

All systems put in place on or after 1 January 2008 are to be inspected within five years of installation, while all other air conditioning systems over 250kW output should have been inspected by 4 January 2009. Any air conditioning systems above 12kW are due to have been inspected by 4 January 2011.

Failure to comply theoretically leads to a fine of between £300 and £5,000, but no prosecutions have been reported. Local authority trading standards officers are responsible for enforcement.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) estimates that there are between 9,406 and 17,599 installed AC systems over 250kW and between 66,000 and 197,000 over 12kW. This is a huge underestimate, according to leading industry figures.

“CLG’s failure to grasp the scale of the problem is depressing, but wholly expected,” said Hywel Davies, technical director of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). “Its latest figures do not even agree with the estimate it produced in its own Regulatory Impact Assessment when the inspection regime was first
announced.

“The most recent industry data suggests that a total of 1,175,625 units were installed between 1995 and 2009. This includes all sizes of AC units,” said Dr Davies.

“Originally, CLG estimated there were 50,000 units over 250kW and between 250,000 and 750,000 over 12kW - so plumped for a central figure of 500,000. It seems to me that the sales figures suggest that even these numbers are conservative, to say the least,” he added.

The HVCA obtained the latest CLG figures under Freedom of Information rules. The response also revealed that the department did not hold any information on numbers of systems that had been inspected or on numbers of penalty charge notices issued for breaches.

CLG said it had based its estimates on total numbers of units sold during 2008. “It is important that local
authorities focus on enforcement,” said Scott Gleed, chairman of the HVCA’s Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Group. “With compliance well below 5 per cent, it is hard to see how the reduced carbon emissions expected from the inspections can be achieved.”

CIBSE is running a ‘noncompliance costs’ campaign in partnership with the HVCA to highlight the lack of inspections being undertaken.

“With a new government in office, it is more important than ever for them to acknowledge that ac inspection compliance is not working and to take steps to remedy the situation,” said CIBSE President Rob Manning.

Visit www.cibse.org for details.