Finding savings – London Underground’s AC
When the requirement to obtain a TM44 air conditioning report every five years* hit home with businesses last year, it was initially unclear to many where the advantages of inspecting Air Con (AC) efficiency might lie.
Since that time, considerable savings have been found, often by implementing ‘no cost’ improvement measures. AC systems vary considerably and we deal with all types and size systems across London – however few organizations spread themselves as broadly across town as London Underground.
What a fascination few months it was towards the end of last year inspecting London underground’s AC systems within a range of buildings of all ages that support the operation of the tube.
From training centres, canteens and comms rooms to staff accommodation, simulators and offices!
To deliver on time, large projects need extra care. Aside from our usual inspection and reporting, it’s important to understand the individual requirements of a company – its procedures and processes. For instance, tube sites present their own collection of risks to mitigate and careful evaluation is needed from the outset.
But once everything is in place, delivering on time is easily achievable. So too is finding the hidden savings lurking within annual energy costs which are known to be considerable in the case of air conditioning systems.
If you or your client have a project that needs careful consideration, why not click here to ask us a question – we’d be happy to take a look and discuss the potential for the reduction in running costs that a system might have – whether that be above or below ground!
*Air Conditioning systems over 12 kw need to have an TM44 report in place by a 4th January 2011 and then re-inspect every 5 years.
This is required by Part 5 of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulations 2007, which implements Article 9 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.