TM44 air conditioning inspections

What a TM44 inspection is

An air conditioning energy inspection looks at how efficiently a building’s air conditioning is working and how it could use less energy. It is required under the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations, and in England and Wales it is usually called a TM44 inspection, after the CIBSE publication that sets out the inspection method. GOV.UK publishes a guide to the rules (GOV.UK: a guide to air conditioning inspections).

The inspection is not the same as a service or an F-gas leak check. A service keeps the equipment clean and working, and a leak check looks for refrigerant escaping. The TM44 inspection steps back and looks at the whole system: whether it is the right size for the building, how well it is controlled and maintained, and what could be done to cut energy use.

Who needs one

GOV.UK’s guidance says all air conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12 kW must be regularly inspected by an energy assessor. The effective rated output is the maximum output in kW stated by the manufacturer. Importantly, units in one building that are under the control of the same person count as a single system. So a building with several smaller split systems can pass the 12 kW threshold even though no single unit does.

The duty falls on the person who controls the system, which might be the building owner, the tenant, the facilities manager or a managing agent, depending on who operates the equipment. If you aren’t sure whether your building is over the threshold, we can list the units and their rated outputs from the nameplates for you.

How often, and the first inspection

Inspections must be no more than five years apart. For a system first put into service on or after 1 January 2008, the first inspection must take place within five years of that date. When someone new takes control of a system and there is no report, the guidance says they must arrange an inspection within three months.

The person who controls the system should keep the latest report and pass it on to whoever takes over control. Inspection reports are lodged on the national register by the energy assessor.

Who can carry out the inspection

The inspection must be carried out by an energy assessor who is a current member of an accreditation scheme. AirCon Doctor isn’t an accredited energy assessor, and we don’t issue TM44 reports ourselves. What we do is the work around the inspection:

• We list the air conditioning in the building, with makes, models, rated outputs and refrigerants.
• We gather the maintenance and F-gas records the assessor will want to see.
• We arrange the inspection with an accredited assessor and give access to the plant on the day.
• We carry out the recommendations afterwards, from controls changes to repairs and replacements.

What the report covers

GOV.UK lists what an inspection report must include. As well as the building address, the assessor’s name and the inspection date, it covers the likely efficiency of the system, any faults found, the current maintenance, the controls and how the system is sized compared with the cooling the building needs. It ends with a summary of the findings and the key recommendations.

Typical recommendations include cleaning or repairing equipment, changing time clocks and set points so rooms aren’t heated and cooled at the same time, improving maintenance records and, for older systems, planning replacement. Where the system runs on an older refrigerant, the report is a useful starting point for budgeting an upgrade.

Getting ready for the assessor

An inspection goes faster, and the report is more useful, when the assessor has the information to hand. Before the visit, it helps to gather the make, model and rated output of each indoor and outdoor unit, the refrigerant type and charge, the dates the systems were installed, the service and leak check records, any previous TM44 report and a simple plan showing which units serve which areas. We can pull all of that together from a site visit and your records. On the day, we can attend with the assessor to open up plant areas, show the controls and answer questions about how the systems are run and maintained. Where we already look after your air conditioning, most of the information is in our records.

Penalties

The rules are enforced by Local Weights and Measures Authorities, usually Trading Standards. GOV.UK’s guidance says the fixed penalty for failing to have a required inspection report is £300, and the penalty for failing to provide a report to a Trading Standards officer within seven days of a request is £200. Apart from the penalties, an up-to-date report is often asked for during property sales, lettings and audits. This is general information, not legal advice.

Putting the findings right

A TM44 report only saves energy if someone acts on it. Because we look after commercial air conditioning, we can price the recommendations, plan them around your business and carry them out. Many clients pair the inspection cycle with a maintenance contract, so servicing, leak checks and the next TM44 date are all kept in one schedule. TM44 work is priced after survey, and you get a fixed price before anything goes ahead.