Inspection of air-conditioning units and boiler effi ciency
Inspection of boiler effi ciency
This is a new responsibility based on the European legislature. The responsibility is specifi ed in Act No. 406/2000 Coll., as amended – paragraph No. 6, item 2 through 5 followed by implementation Directive No. 276/2007 Coll., describing boiler effi ciency inspection regulations. Inspection of boiler effi ciency used to heat buildings includes the evaluation of the heat source and the effi ciency of its operation. The results are compared with the requirements necessary to heat the building. The output of this inspection is a report demonstrating whether the heat source meets the applicable legislature and improvement recommendations. At the same time, the report provides information about alternative solutions and energy cost savings.
- Regular inspection must be done on boilers with a thermal output starting at 20 kW and more. Boilers with output between 20 – 200 kW belong to one category and boilers with output above 200 kW belong to another category. These categories differ in the scope of responsibilities and in the frequency of required inspections. Further, one-time inspection must be done on boilers with output starting at 20 kW and on boilers 15 years old or more.
- The owner or the boiler operator is responsible for ordering the inspection. Therefore, this responsibility applies to individual persons as well as to business entities.
- The law also specifi es responsibility to evaluate boilers with output above 200 kW (all types of fuels) no later than November 1, 2008. Boilers with output between 20 and 200 kW (solid and liquid fuels) must be inspected before November 1, 2009. Boilers with output between 20 and 200 kW (natural gas) before November 1, 2011. One-time inspection of boilers older than15 years must be done within three years after the law takes legal effect and that is between January 1, 2007 and January 1, 2010.
Air-conditioning system inspections
This responsibility is specifi ed in Act No. 406/2000 Coll., as amended – paragraph No. 6, item 7 followed by implementation Directive No. 277/2007 Coll., describing air-conditioning unit inspection regulations.
Regular inspections of air-conditioning units include evaluation of the operation of the unit and its power output. Then it is compared with the requirements to cool the building down. The output of this inspection is a report demonstrating whether the system complies with the applicable legislature as well as recommendations for improvements and corrective measures. At the same time the report provides information about alternative solutions and energy cost savings.
- Air-conditioning units equipped with machine cooling devices with rated output above 12 kW are subject to this inspection.
- The responsibility to have your air-conditioning unit inspected takes legal effect on January 1, 2009. The inspection is done regularity every four years.
Inspection of the effi ciency of boilers and inspection of air-conditioning units may be done only by persons with the applicable certifi cation as required by special legal regulations. These persons are mostly energy auditors who also possess certifi cate for boiler inspections.