Bbi Update News

28/05/09

Heated times for facilities managers over air conditioning units

A facilities management firm is warning that UK businesses have only six months left to prepare for government legislation on reducing its carbon emissions.

Hundreds of facilities managers across the UK / hundreds of businesses across /Wales/Gloucestershire/Leeds could find themselves facing fines significant fines if they fail to wake up to changes in legislation surrounding air conditioning units.

Leading facilities support company, Brecon/Leeds/Gloucester-based Beacons Business Interiors (Bbi) is warning that businesses could easily find themselves on the wrong side of the law if they do nothing to update outdated air conditioning units which use ozone-depleting gas HCFC R22. Britain has signed up to the Kyoto Protocol which dictates that, by 2010, HCFC gases are to be phased out and replaced with non-ozone depleting refrigerants, such as R410A. However, an alarming number of companies are failing to act.

Paul Carey, mechanical and electrical director at Bbi, said:

"The clock is definitely ticking for businesses to do something about their air conditioning units. Businesses need to act now or face huge fines, administered by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) through the Environment Agency, who may well be looking to make examples out of businesses to act as a deterrent for others. The good news is that large, blue-chip organisations seem to be employing mechanical and electrical specialists to ensure they meet the fast-approaching deadline. However, the bad news is that many small and medium sized companies and organisations remain unaware that their systems contain HCFCs. There seems to be a lot of confusion in the market place and many facilities managers seem blissfully unaware that they themselves - as well as their companies - are liable if they are found to fall foul of the law."

In addition to the potential fines, the longer companies put off changing their air conditioning units, the more expensive the job will become as demand could outstrip supply.

"A breakdown, or leak in an existing air conditioning system may shortly mean that the equipment cannot be legally repaired, potentially resulting in an un-planned major expenditure. And as the deadline approaches, and more organisations wake up to the issue, demand for equipment will far exceed supply. This means that that new equipment costs will rocket in price and engineering resource to implement the change will become scarce. Organisations who do not implement a planned phase-out very quickly could find themselves paying premium prices as the deadline approaches."

As well as being more environmentally-friendly and a fast approaching legislative requirement, replacing the air conditioning unit can also bring direct cost benefits to businesses.

"Air conditioning in a building can amount to as much as a third of the building's annual energy cost, and older, less technically advanced units can use more energy and cost more to operate. We estimate that new systems are 40-50% more energy efficient than outdated units and the energy saving made will justify the cost of replacement in just 12-18 months."

Bbi is assisting businesses to develop a cost effective plan to bring them into compliance. This involves undertaking surveys and preparing a costed proposal for the upgrade, along with the energy cost savings.

"We're contacting more than 500 businesses to see if we can help them to plan and implement the upgrade. Where older air conditioning systems have a business critical application, such as within computer rooms, it's important to plan the update to avoid a loss of service resulting from a breakdown that can't be legally repaired."