Temperature Control Solutions Ltd

TCS Total Care

Maintaining your air conditioning and refrigeration plant is now more important than ever. This prolongs the life of your equipment, cuts down on running costs and down time and keeps you within legislation.

From July 4th 2009 the law changed F Gas legislation came into effect of which The Regulations impose responsibilities on the owners / operators of the air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. Using HFCs responsibly involves action to reduce their emissions and any negative impact on the environment. This now includes the design, installation, servicing and disposal of HFC-using equipment and training in the use and handling of HFCs

To keep you within legislation TCS Total Care can audit your site and all of your equipment, we will make records of plant, position, age and amount of refrigerant and type of gas installed. Each qualifying system will be provided with a "log Book" to record maintenance, repairs and leaks of which can be used for your records. Service certification can be issued on completion of service again for your records.

We can then tailor make a service contract to keep you within F Gas guidelines.

The new legislation was bought in to minimize the amount of refrigerant gas leaked into the atmosphere. Briefly systems require the following.

· Plants with 3 kg to 30 kg of HFC refrigerant must be checked annually.

· Plants with 30 kg to 300 kg must be checked once every 6 months.

· Plants with more than 300 kg must be tested once every 3 months, and fitted with an automatic leakage detection system.

All Plants must be rechecked within one month after a leak has been repaired to ensure that the repair has been effective.

New equipment to be labeled, detailing type and quantity of refrigerant used.

Maintenance of records for systems carrying more than 3 kg of HFC

Appropriately trained F Gas Certified staff to conduct maintenance and leak testing.

R 22 Refrigerant Gas Phase Out.

From January 1st 2010 there is a ban on all virgin HCFC's of which includes R22 refrigerant gas. This gas is widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration plants usually over 5 years old. From the end of 2014 recycled R22 will also be banned. There is no guarantee on the availability and quality of R22 especially as time gets nearer the dead lines we have already seen steep increases in prices.

With newer technology and the likelihood that the systems on R22 are over five years old new plant will be far more energy efficient with variable speed compressors and newer dynamic refrigerants .

Start planning for HCFC Phase Out now. This will ensure you have time to consider the most appropriate options and will enable you to minimise the cost implications. Again we can visit your site and audit your equipment to assist you with this. It may not be as costly as you think once energy savings are taken into account. The Government's Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme allows the end user to claim back 100% tax relief in year one rather than over three years as an incentive for new energy efficient systems. Please see www.eca.gov.uk for further information.

For more information please ring 01743 245639