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If you have a building that has air conditioning that totals 250kW or more, the deadline for inspections and reporting was 4 January.

For buildings with a total of 12kW – 250kW, the deadline is 4 January 2011. You should have an inspection and report within your next maintenance cycle.

• The cost of R22 is going up, up, up. The petrochemical companies are buying up stocks of new – and recycled – gases to sell in non-regulated countries. (Totally misses the point about controlling harmful emissions, of course, but there you are.) DuPont projects the rise to be 15% per quarter.
• Drop-in alternatives are proving less efficient – and sometimes harmful to compressors. (Tesco found an 80% compressor failure rate – and a 20% decrease in efficiency even if it did work.)
• There are tax incentives on offer - and savings on running costs to be had. (If you have to change anyway, and you can afford to do it, it would be a waste to wait.) - www.eca.gov.uk/etl
• There is currently a government interest free loan scheme for qualifying companies and systems. - www.carbontrust.co.uk/loans

Action Time? Having a survey and report doesn’t mean you have to change things right away.  But the sooner you know what is coming, the better.  And you get more time to shop around. A Watco survey report takes you through the real options for your own individual system.  With costed options, you can plan for the changes and phase them into your operations.

The Survey

System Profile

We review the information you have on the system components, maintenance reports and running costs.

We inspect and note the age and condition of the individual components of your system.  You are welcome to accompany the inspections.

We identify the current refrigerant mix from the records, or run tests, as required.

System Status

We review the maintenance history and running costs of your system and compare these with other, similar installations.

We identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and lower the running cost for your system.  Where possible, we show you how much you may save.

We identify the likely replacement time for each major component in your system.

The Report Survey Summary Highlight of equipment using obsolete refrigerants, including R22 R22 Compliance Plan The options are: Continue up to deadline (or key component/system replacement time) with R22 from stockpiles Use ‘drop in’ alternatives for the short term Keep your current system components but convert to a different refrigerant (flush and fill) Replace the R22 system with new equipment designed for efficient running with a different refrigerant Your report presents the practicality, benefits and risks for each option – with an estimated likely cost based on current market information. We include an objective, balanced recommendation.

Why Watco We are accredited experts in the design and maintenance of air conditioning systems, including the use and handling of R22. Because we are accredited, if you choose Watco to supply your aircon equipment, it carries a 5 year guarantee instead of the usual 3 years. We can help with a payment schedule to make a conversion more affordable. We can help your proposals for tax relief and the interest free loan scheme.

Summary of Regulations and Actions

You can download the guide as a .pdf by clicking here

Air Conditioning is a big investment – and a continuous overhead.  By ensuring that your system is the right one and that you are managing it efficiently, you can:

• Save money
• Pass the mandatory inspections
• Control emissions

The law is that any system with a combined output of all air conditioning units in a building greater than 12kW now must be inspected every 5 years.

• If your air conditioning system has a rated output of 250 kW +, you must have had your first inspection by 4th January 2009.

• If your air conditioning system has a rated output greater than 12kW - 250kW you must have had your first inspection by 4th January 2011.

• For new systems installed on or after 1 January 2008, the first inspection must have taken place within 5 years of the installation date.

If you control a building with an air conditioning system that is affected by these regulations, you are responsible for ensuring an inspection has been done by the deadlines and that you have a copy of the most recent inspection report.

All inspections must be done by an accredited air conditioning assessor. They will provide you with a written report giving you advice and guidance on how to improve the energy efficiency of the system.  The inspection report should be kept with your maintenance records in your Building Log Book.

If your inspection shows that an investment is needed, there is some help available for investing in cleaner, more efficient technology:

The Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme allows businesses to write off the whole cost of a qualifying investment against taxable profits in the year of purchase. Energy-Efficiency Loans of between £5,000 and £100,000 are available for investing in energy saving projects to qualifying companies with fewer than 250 employees and turnover under £26m.  The loans are repaid over a period of up to 4 years.