The EU and UK Government have introduced additional Air Conditioning Inspections. These are in addition to the F-Gas checks and are not part of or covered by regular service visits.

ACS Group Maintenance Ltd have announced they are contacting all of their customers to remind them that the Department for Communities and Local Government have introduced new regular inspections for air conditioning systems – and these inspections have to be made by an independent accredited energy assessor – and are not part of most annual maintenance agreements.

Spokesperson for ACS, Rebecca Wheeler, explained, “The purpose of this new report is to determine the energy efficiency of plant and equipment and is designed to improve efficiency and reduce the electricity consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions. Energy inspections will highlight improvements to the operation of existing systems or opportunities to replace older, less energy efficient systems or over-sized systems with new energy efficient systems”

“From the 4th January 2011, it is the legal responsibility of  site managers or owners responsible for air conditioning equipment  with an output of more than 12kW,  to arrange for an independent inspection carried out by an energy assessor.”

“In order to ensure ACS Group Maintenance Ltd customers comply, ACS have partnered with a UK network of accredited energy assessors who will  provide  a completely independent report. Further information can be obtained about this facility by sending an e-mail to: inspections@acsgm.co.uk.”

“ACS will e-mail full details of your specific obligations under the Regulations together with associated costs. Due to very high call volumes regarding this matter at present  they have asked customers and anyone seeking more information to use this e-mail facility.”

If you do not currently have a service agreement and would like to use ACS Group Maintenance Services, then contact them using the same email: inspections@acsgm.co.uk.

Rebecca Wheeler went on to say, “We urge you to take note of this reminder and be certain of your obligations under the Regulations, we do however, aim to support all of our customers in this respect. To put this new European and UK government legislation in perspective, since the coalition came to power they have cancelled a number of ‘green schemes’.”

“The air conditioning industry and associated authorities recognise there are not enough qualified inspectors to visit and inspect the hundreds of thousands of sites in the country. The cost of the inspections appear to start from £450, going up to the £thousands. The fine for not having one is currently £300. As far as we can see this report is for advice that does not have to be acted upon.”

“When the new EU F-Gas regulations were implemented, a similar situation occurred but it should be noted that to date, none of our customer base of approximately 3000 sites have had their F-Gas regulations checked, none of the sites with over 250kW of equipment who have paid for and had their inspections have been checked and our registration as an F-Gas compliant contractor has only ever been looked at by our own governing body. “

With more than 20 years experience caring for public sector, business and domestic, heating and cooling requirements.

Regardless who originally installed or supplied your air conditioning or ventilation system we will maintain them in strict accordance with official regulations.

All of our engineers are trained to a required standard and in addition to routine maintenance will conduct necessary checks for leaks and other mandatory tests.

ACS Group Maintenance Teams cover the whole of England and Wales

All ACS customers can be assured the air conditioning and heating systems all conform to UK and European laws with regard to the maintenance and environmental concerns.

Air conditioning properly maintained will improve the air quality inside buildings which can be a major public concern.

Pollutant levels inside some buildings can be higher than outdoor levels.

Mould is a major contributor to poor indoor air quality and when mould colonies grow, they produce spores and mycotoxins, both can cause allergic reactions in about 20% of the population.

If you do not have a service contract and would like to discuss the various options available for repair or maintaining equipment, please call us today.

When we depend upon technically complex equipment to control our environment or to protect our equipment, it is sound business sense to ensure that this equipment is kept working and delivering optimum performance.

Most quality equipment is covered by a five-year manufacturers warranty. In the event of equipment failure all parts are supplied free of charge by the manufacturer and fitted free of charge by ACS (UK) Ltd.

In order that this warranty is kept in place the equipment must be serviced on a regular basis, (no different to a new car for example). There are parts within every system, which will undoubtedly fail if they are not serviced on a regular basis.

Regular maintenance also ensures that the equipment is kept in a safe condition and that it runs efficiently, which can result in keeping down running costs. A well-serviced and maintained system will have an enhanced life span.

 As part of the service procedure checks are made and recorded in order that the owner and operator of the system, or systems, conform to the “F Gas” legislation. (Please see the full “F Gas” legislation document – Click Here)

Service and Maintenance visits are carried out at intervals to suite the requirement of the equipment application and its working hours, usually between one and four visits per annum. Each visit would comprise as follows:

• Detailed visual inspection of both indoor and outdoor plant and equipment.
• Electrical safety check.Full operation check.
• Airflow and temperature checks.Condensate removal test.
• Condensate pump test (if fitted).
• Full “F Gas” compliance check, (including labelling plant if none exists).
• Written Engineers report.

A Full service and maintenance check list and sample service record is available for download.
(Click Here)

In addition to the above an “F Gas” compliant logbook is left on site, to be kept in premises file, which can be presented in the event of a local authority inspection visit.

Although there are a fixed number of regular service visits, there is no additional charge, or call out fee, should any interim visits are required due to equipment malfunction.

•  Service packages can be tailored to any individual need.
• Standard Package including warranty protection.
• 24 or 4-hour response for sensitive areas.
• 365/24/7 Critical Response service.

For systems that are out of, or not covered by a manufacturers warranty, annual contracts can be arranged so that all parts and labour are included. This aids forward budgeting and ensures that there are no big surprises around the corner.

To see a sample service and maintenance contract please call 01327 810510

It is now a legal requirement for all businesses that install, maintain or service stationary refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pump equipment that contains or is designed to contain “F Gas” refrigerants, to hold a certificate issued by an appointed certification body.

It is an offence to carry out these activities without the correct company certificate. This legal requirement also applies to maintenance contractors, installers and including sole traders for all the above equipment. The same responsibilities and legislation equally applies to end users, facilities managers, and employees who service and maintain this equipment.

Organisations authorized to issue Company Certificates are – Refcom, Bureau Veritas and Quidos.

]]> http://www.acsgroupmaintenance.co.uk/news/f-gas-legal-requirements/feed/ 0 http://www.acsgroupmaintenance.co.uk/news/hello-world/ http://www.acsgroupmaintenance.co.uk/news/hello-world/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:37:41 +0000 admin http://www.acsgroupmaintenance.co.uk/?p=1

People in the UK spend, as much as 90% of their time indoor and air quality is a major concern.

Estimated indoor levels of many pollutants can be much higher than outdoor levels. Mould is a major contributor to poor indoor air quality and when mould colonies grow, they produce spores and mycotoxins, both can cause allergic reactions in about 20% of the population.

Mould also is a known trigger of asthma attacks. Some moulds can even cause serious health concerns including infections, dizziness, chronic fatigue, and memory loss. ACS Group Maintenance employees are passionate about climate management and take every step to ensure commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and any other place where customers work and live.

Regardless who originally installed or supplied your air conditioning or ventilation system it must be maintained in strict accordance with official guidelines. All of our engineers are trained to a required standard and in addition to routine maintenance will conduct necessary checks for leaks and other mandatory tests.

This ensures all of our customers conform to UK and European laws with regard to the maintenance of their air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Whether you require air conditioning to provide comfort for customers and patients or to provide pleasant working conditions for office staff, it must work well and must keep on working, particularly at those times it is needed most.

ACS Group Maintenance Ltd provides fast breakdown service and preventative maintenance for all types of ventilation systems, air conditioning in schools, medical practices, and the public and commercial sector.

 In the case of IT suites, server rooms and other areas containing mission critical equipment, we will attend to any urgent breakdown fast, carry out the necessary repairs and restore services as soon as possible. We know just how important air conditioning is to commercial premises and if you need us in a hurry, you can count on our immediate response.

If you already own or are responsible for air conditioning systems and would like to find out quickly if the ban on R22 gas affects you – then please call Freephone 0800 085 4737 – and ask for the latest up to date information.

More about R22

Described as the elephant in the room anyone with air-conditioning equipment more than about five years old could be in for a nasty shock after the end of this year according Richard Cooper, national marketing manager of Mitsubishi Electric.

Air-conditioning equipment more than five years old will almost certainly be using R22. Properly maintained units can go on working for years, but owners may be shocked to find that they cannot get their systems fixed from January 2010 because R22 is not available.

This could leave buildings without heating and cooling, with hard-pressed companies facing the immediate cost of unscheduled replacement or having to buy high-priced reclaimed R22- if they can find it.

R22 has been identified as having ozone-depleting potential so the use of virgin R22 will be banned from January 2010. This means that any system will have to rely on reclaimed gas for routine maintenance or emergencies until its outright ban in 2015.

Running out of gas

According to the BRA (British Refrigeration Association), severe shortages of reclaimed R22 are predicted based on the small amount of gas being reclaimed. Mitsubishi Electric, Business Partners of Air Conditioning Solutions (UK) Ltd, is highlighting the R22 problem encouraging building owners to start preparing now.

The option of direct direct-replacement or ‘drop-in’ refrigerants may help however; these have been developed to drop into an R22 system to keep the air conditioning going for the short term.

The problem is, each individual system is different, and it is impossible to tell whether there is a simple solution, or how effective it will be until you get to the stage where you actually need to use it. Recent tests also indicate that direct-replacement refrigerants can hinder performance; in some cases, they have even caused complete mechanical failure.

The win-win solution

The better solutions where circumstances allow are the replacement of air conditioning making sure the capital cost is offset against their annual tax bill under the Government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) Scheme.

Mitsubishi claim that their VRF air conditioning have come on in leaps and bounds in the last five years and seriously outperforms R22 systems in terms of efficiency, running cost and control, so it would certainly be worth starting the conversation on when to schedule replacement.

Systems are available that heat and cool at the same time and use excess heat to provide your building’s hot water. You may therefore find that you can remove that old boiler system at the same time.

With replacement, old indoor and outdoor units are replaced with modern R410A systems after the existing pipe work has been specially cleaned and prepared. The work takes days rather than weeks and can avoid removing existing ceilings and minimise disruption.

This approach still allows companies to take advantage of the huge savings in running costs that modern systems can offer, whilst still qualifying for the ECA scheme.

For more information on service contracts for air conditioning and advice regarding the best future options for your building services call us now on 0800 085 4737

Energy Efficiency loans are available to businesses meeting one, or both, of the following criteria:

* Companies that meet the EU definition of a small or medium-sized enterprise, i.e. companies with less than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50m (around £42m at today’s exchange rate).
* Companies that are not eligible to participate in the Carbon Reduction Commitment, i.e. companies consuming less than 6,000MWh of half hourly metered electricity. This typically equates to an annual electricity spend of £500,000.

All loans are unsecured, interest-free and repayable over a period of up to 4 years.  The minimum loan size has recently been reduced from £5,000 to £3,000 whilst the maximum size has increased from £200,000 to £400,000 to help more businesses secure funding in the recession.  There are no arrangement fees and applying is straightforward.  For more information please visit: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/loans

If you require assistance in a applying for the Carbon Trust Loan or wish to discuss the procedure before contacting them please feel free to phone us for more information in the first instance.

About the Carbon Trust

* The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up in 2001 by Government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.
* We cut carbon emissions now by giving business and the public sector expert advice, finance and accreditation to help them reduce their carbon footprint and to stimulate demand for low carbon products and services.
* Since 2001 we’ve helped UK business save over 23 million tonnes of CO2, and more than £1.4billion. We aim to help our customers, across the private and public sectors, to cut a further 17 million tones of CO2 in the next three years
* In 2008 alone the Carbon Trust supported half a million UK businesses, saving companies up to £227 million from their annual energy bills and cutting up to 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from their annual emissions.
* We cut future carbon emissions by developing new low carbon technologies through project funding and management, investment and collaboration. We also identify market failures and provide practical ways to overcome them
* We are helping the UK become a global hub for low carbon innovation. We do this through funding and managing projects, investing and collaborating on low carbon technologies and by identifying market barriers and practical ways to overcome them. Our work on commercialising new technologies will save over 24 million tonnes of carbon a year by 2050.
* The Carbon Trust is undertaking world leading projects in the offshore wind, marine energy, biomass, CHP, algae and advanced solar power sectors