Key Points

• Most air conditioning systems are oversized for the spaces they condition.
• Oversized air conditioning systems are energy inefficient.
• Air conditioning in offices alone can account for up to 30% of annual electricity consumption.
• Poorly managed and operated air conditioning systems will fail sooner.
• Poorly maintained air conditioning systems will fail much sooner than poorly operated systems.

Is Air Conditioning really necessary?  In the UK comfort cooling is very expensive, with very few days each year when the temperature exceeds 28°C.  Using comfort cooling for this short time can cost the same as whole year’s heating bill.

As air conditioning uses electricity, which is responsible for higher CO2 emissions than the equivalent amount of fossil fuel energy, its impact on the carbon footprint of a building can be significant.

Is the air conditioning correctly sized for the environment?  Oversized air conditioning will operate inefficiently through increased rates of ‘stopping and starting’ (like the urban cycle on a car).  A statutory inspection of the installed air conditioning can provide assurance on correct sizing to the operator.

Equipment Maintenance.  Most air conditioning maintenance regimes focus on end user visibility, rather than a whole system effectiveness and serviceability approach.  Understanding what an air conditioning maintenance regime is required to do or checking what has been agreed, and then checking it is being done across the whole of the installed plant will provide assurance to system owners and operators with the potential to extend in-service life.

Air conditioning records.  Inadequate record keeping at site level, awareness of what is required, whether by in-house or external facilities staff or external sub-contractors continues to leave system owners and operators vulnerable to sanction and penalties.

Air Conditioning Inspections.  West London Energy Assessors can undertake the statutory 5 yearly inspection of air conditioning systems which have 12kW or more cooling capacity.  These inspections are a mandatory and legal requirement and provide assurance to equipment and operators their systems are correctly sized, are being effectively maintained, and are being operated efficiently.