Top signs you need to be aware of to get your TM44 air conditioning inspection booked in
The TM44 Air Conditioning inspection regulation was brought into UK law in 2011 as part of the Energy Performance of Building Directives (EPBD). According to TM44 regulations, air conditioning systems with a combined output of 12kW or more will require an inspection every five years. This applies to businesses across the UK. It is the legal responsibility of the operator of the air conditioning systems to ensure they have had an inspection and have a valid certificate or face a fine.
The main purpose of this inspection is to determine whether the air conditioning systems are energy efficiently maintenance and managed. The inspection is carried out by an independent certified Air Conditioning inspector.
Today, we will talk about the top signs that you should look out for and where to find out if you have a valid TM44 certificate.
TM44 air conditioning inspection: Top signs
Numerous signs indicate that it is time you should get a TM44 inspection for your air conditioning system. Some of the most popular ones are specified below.
If it has been more than 5 years
According to EPBD, every air conditioning system that have more than 12KW capacity needs to be inspected every 5 years. Therefore it is legally mandatory that you should get your inspection done as soon as possible.
If you are not sure if you already have one in place, go to www.ndepcregister.com, select Non-domestic and type in your postcode. This will bring up a list of legally required certificates that you have in place, if there is no ‘AC-cert’ then you will need to get one done as soon as possible.
You may be asked by the local authority or trading standards if you have a certificate in place, if the owners cannot present their TM44 inspection report, they can be fined. The fine is about £300 for not having the latest TM44 inspection report and £200 if the copy of the report is not sent within seven days after being asked by the authorities. Fines are reoccurring until a valid certificate is presented.
Note: If you recently installed an AC unit, ie. In the past four years, then you do not need a certificate.
Other than that, if you have an air conditioning system in your building that has an effective output of 250kW or more, then it should have gone under TM44 inspection before 4th January 2009. In addition to this, the air conditioning systems with an overall output of 12kW or more would have under gone their first TM44 inspection on 4th January 2011.
Higher energy costs
If you have air condition systems installed in any of your properties, with an effective output between 12kW and 250kW, and you think that you are getting high energy bills, then it is one of the signs that you should get TM44 inspection.
- According to the current legislation, an efficient air conditioning system should use less energy.
- Less energy usage means that the system will save owners numerous costs like operational cost and maintenance cost.
- Less energy usage means that the system will save owners numerous costs like operational cost and maintenance cost.
- Lower energy consumption will drastically reduce the electricity bills, and this would allow property owners to save a whole lot of money.
- Lower energy consumption will drastically reduce the electricity bills, and this would allow property owners to save a whole lot of money.
If your air conditioning systems are not performing well
The most important sign that you should look out for that would indicate that it is time to get a TM44 inspection is that you should look at the efficiency of your installed air conditioning systems. Not been able to cool properly is a sign that your air conditioning system is decreasing in its efficiency.
- Reduced efficiency means that you would pay more electricity bills while compromising on performance.
- By having a TM44 inspection, the accredited air conditioning energy assessor will provide insights on how you can improve the efficiency of your cooling system.
- In most cases, the energy assessor will also tell you whether you should replace the less efficient air conditioning system or not.
Moreover, after inspecting your air conditioning systems, the air conditioning energy assessor will also tell you if any technical issues exist. More often than not the issue is the maintenance and cleanliness of the system both the outdoor condenser and the indoor evaporator.
Sometimes, the controller settings of air conditioning system can be incorrectly configured. In 99% of AC systems inspected the basics have not been set up on the controller such as the time and date and the on/off settings.
Other areas to be aware of are the refrigerant types used by AC units. Many of the most common refrigerants are being phased out and so the inspection report will inform you if you need to prepare to update or replace your AC units or the refrigerants in the system.
If you are not sure about your installed air conditioning system
If you are not sure whether the installed air conditioning system in your building is according to the square footage of your building, then you should consider getting a TM44 air conditioning inspection.
According to the legislation, the cooling systems must be adequately sized for the square footage of the building. A TM44 air conditioning inspection will help you to identify whether you have an oversized or undersized cooling system.
If your cooling systems are oversized, the air conditioning energy assessor will tell you to either replace the systems or will offer some other alternative solutions.
Final Remarks
The above-specified are some of the most important signs that indicate that you should get a TM44 air conditioning inspection.