Air-conditioning legislation triple whammy
In the UK all buildings with air conditioning that has a rated cooling output greater than 12 kW should have been inspected by an accredited energy assessor before 4 January 2011. The only exceptions to this legal requirement were for systems greater than 12 kW installed on or after 1 January 2008, which have until 1 January 2013 to comply.
The economic downturn has been blamed for the fact that many building operators have delayed compliance with this legislation. However, it is also apparent that many building operators are simply unaware of these legal obligations.
Coupled with this we have the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulation, which renders all refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump equipment designed to operate with HCFC R22 refrigerant effectively obsolete. Not forgetting the F-Gas Regulation, which also imposes legal obligations on building operators.
As a distributor of Daikin products for 32 years, Space Airconditioning plc helped this world-leading manufacturer to gain market dominance in the UK for its innovative air-conditioning systems. As part of the process of increasing the awareness of current legislation impacting on refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps, Space Air has developed a new CPD presentation entitled ‘Air-conditioning legislation — the triple whammy’. This 1-hour presentation examines the legal obligations under the ODS Directive, R22 Phase Out and its replacement options and benefits. The F-Gas Regulation is fully explained, including the likely outcome of the 2012 review. Finally, the presentation details the EPBD Air Conditioning Inspections legislation, the processes involved and an enlightening and sometimes amusing look at examples where the efficiency of air-conditioning systems has been impaired by design, installation, maintenance or operator errors.
Mike Nankivell, marketing director of Space Air commented, ‘This presentation was developed because it became clear to us that whilst some knowledge of the subjects existed, the legal and environmental implications for building operators are not so well appreciated.
‘It has been very well received so far, and we have even had specifiers inviting their end-user clients to attend presentations. We welcome enquiries, but there are some capacity limitations in our being able to deliver this presentation to everyone interested, so we are planning to make it available as a webinar.’
For details of ‘Air-conditioning legislation — a triple whammy’, simply email R22@spaceair.co.uk
