Having an air conditioning system inspected by an accredited air conditioning energy assessor is designed to improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption, operating costs and the carbon emissions of the system. The energy assessor will highlight improvements to the operation of existing systems or opportunities to replace older, less energy efficient systems or oversized systems with new energy efficient systems. When air conditioning inspections are required: All air conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kw must be regularly inspected by an energy assessor.

The inspections must be no more than five years apart. The regulations require the first inspection of the affected air conditioning systems to be carried out as follows:

• for all systems first put into service on or after 1 January 2008, the first inspection must have taken place within five years of the date when the system was first put into service
• for other air conditioning systems, where the effective rated output is more than 250kW the first inspection must have taken place by 4 January 2009
• for other air conditioning systems, where the effective rated output is more than 12kW the first inspection must have taken place by 4 January 2011

The inspection will examine the refrigeration and air moving equipment that are part of air conditioning systems and their controls. It will also examine any documentation that helps to understand the system, or indicates the extent to which the system has 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 system might be improved.

The air conditioning inspection report will include at least the following details:

• the likely efficiency of the system and any suggestions made for improvement
• any faults identified during the inspection and suggested actions
• the adequacy of equipment maintenance and any suggestions for improvement ? the adequacy of the installed controls and control settings and any suggestions made for improvement.
• the current size of the installed system in relation to the cooling load any suggestions for improvement. ? summary of the findings and the key recommendations 

The penalty for failing to having an air conditioning inspection report is fixed at £300. A further penalty can be issued for failure to provide a copy of the air conditioning inspection report when requested to an officer of an enforcement authority within seven days. This is fixed at £200.