All air-conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kw must be regularly inspected by an Energy Assessor. The inspection interval by a qualified assessor must be a maximum of five years between intervals. The current regulations require that the first inspection of the affected air-conditioning systems to be carried out to the following schedule:

• for all systems first put into service on or after 1 January 2008, the first air-conditioning inspection must have taken place within 5 years of the date when the system was first put into service.

• for any other air-conditioning systems, where the effective rated output is greater than 250kW the first air-conditioning inspection must occur by 4 January 2009.

Air Conditioning inspection will examine the refrigeration and air movement equipment that are part of air-conditioning systems, and controls. The inspector will also examine any documentation that helps to understand the systems, or indicates the extent to which the systems have been maintained. The energy assessor is also required to estimate whether the system is suitably sized for the cooling loads in the treated spaces, and to provide advice on ways in which the performance of the Air Conditioning system might be improved.

Access will be required to equipment that may be located in plant rooms, or outside the building, including rooftops or other locations with limited access. In all cases the building owner or manager should agree the means for safe access with the energy assessor, following a health and safety risk assessment of the individual situation. The energy assessor may need to be accompanied by the responsible building manager or maintenance representative at all times.

Some additional access is likely to be needed, for example to the inside of AHUs or air ducts. This must be provided and supervised by the responsible building manager or maintenance agent with due regard to the safety of the energy assessor and to building occupants. This would require the Air Conditioning system to be turned off to allow safe access, so arrangements may need to be made for this outside working hours to avoid disruption to business. Similarly, the Energy Assessor may need to access a sample of components, such as fan coil units, which may be hidden above suspended ceilings. Again, access should be provided by the building manager.

Building owners and managers should not expect the air conditioning inspection to identify hazards or unsafe aspects of the installation, operation or maintenance of systems that should be identified and addressed by other arrangements, nor should they expect the energy assessor to fix any problem identified as part of the Air Conditioning inspection.

F Gas inspections

• at least once every twelve months for applications containing 3kg or more of F gases (this shall not apply to equipment with hermetically sealed systems, which are labelled as such and contain less than 6kg of F gases).

• at least once every six months for applications containing 30kg or more of F gases.

• at least once every 3 months for applications containing 300kg or more of F gases.

These applications must also be checked for leakage within one month after a leak has been repaired to ensure that the repair has been effective.