Information and advice from the air conditioning experts
At Chillaire we pride ourselves on the depth of our information and expertise concerning all aspects of air conditioning, heating and ventilation. If you don’t find the information you are looking for in the sections below, please get in touch and we will be happy to give you some advice.
REGULATION (EU) No 517/2014 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 April 2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases and repealing Regulation (EC) No 842/2006
Full document avaliable here
Summary on what this means for you the end user or operator below:
Prevention of emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases
1. The intentional release of fluorinated greenhouse gases into the atmosphere shall be prohibited where the release is not technically necessary for the intended use.
2. Operators of equipment that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases shall take precautions to prevent the unintentional release (‘leakage’) of those gases. They shall take all measures which are technically and economically feasible to minimise leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
3. Where a leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases is detected, the operators shall ensure that the equipment is repaired without undue delay.
Where the equipment is subject to leak checks under Article 4(1), and a leak in the equipment has been repaired, the operators shall ensure that the equipment is checked by a certified natural person within one month after the repair to verify that the repair has been effective.
4. Natural persons carrying out the tasks referred to in points (a) to (c) of Article 10(1) shall be certified in accordance with Article 10(4) and (7) and shall take precautionary measures to prevent leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
Undertakings carrying out the installation, servicing, maintenance, repair or decommissioning of the equipment listed in points (a) to (d) of the Article 4(2) shall be certified in accordance with Article 10(6) and (7) and shall take precautionary measures to prevent leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
20.5.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 150/201 EN
Article 4
Leak checks
1. Operators of equipment that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more and not contained in foams shall ensure that the equipment is checked for leaks.
Hermetically sealed equipment that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, shall not be subject to leak checks under this Article, provided the equipment is labelled as hermetically sealed.
3. The leak checks pursuant to paragraph 1 shall be carried out with the following frequency:
(a) for equipment that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more, but of less than 50 tonnes of CO2 equivalent: at least every 12 months; or where a leakage detection system is installed, at least every 24 months;
(b) for equipment that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 50 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more, but of less than 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent: at least every six months or, where a leakage detection system is installed, at least every 12 months;
(c) for equipment that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more: at least every three months or, where a leakage detection system is installed, at least every six months.
Article 5
Leakage detection systems
1. Operators of the equipment listed in points (a) to (d) of Article 4(2) and containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more, shall ensure that the equipment is provided with a leakage detection system which alerts the operator or a service company of any leakage.
2. Operators of the equipment listed in points (f) and (g) of Article 4(2) and containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more and installed from 1 January 2017, shall ensure that this equipment
is provided with a leakage detection system which alerts the operator or a service company of any leakage.
3. Operators of the equipment listed in points (a) to (d) and (g) of Article 4(2) that is subject to paragraph 1 or 2 of this Article shall ensure that leakage detection systems are checked at least once every 12 months to ensure their proper functioning.
4. Operators of the equipment listed in point (f) of Article 4(2) that is subject to paragraph 2 of this Article shall ensure that leakage detection systems are checked at least once every 6 years to ensure their proper functioning.
Article 6
Record keeping
1. Operators of equipment which is required to be checked for leaks pursuant to Article 4(1), shall establish and maintain records for each piece of such equipment specifying the following information:
(a) the quantity and type of fluorinated greenhouse gases installed;
(b) the quantities of fluorinated greenhouse gases added during installation, maintenance or servicing or due to leakage;
(c) whether the quantities of installed fluorinated greenhouse gases have been recycled or reclaimed, including the name and address of the recycling or reclamation facility and, where applicable, the certificate number;
(d) the quantity of fluorinated greenhouse gases recovered;
(e) the identity of the undertaking which installed, serviced, maintained and where applicable repaired or decommissioned the equipment, including, where applicable, the number of its certificate;
(f) the dates and results of the checks carried out under Article 4(1) to (3);
(g) if the equipment was decommissioned, the measures taken to recover and dispose of the fluorinated greenhouse gases.
2. Unless the records referred to in paragraph 1 are stored in a database set up by the competent authorities of the
Member States the following rules apply:
20.5.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 150/203 EN
(a) the operators referred to in paragraph 1 shall keep the records referred to in that paragraph for at least five years;
(b) undertakings carrying out the activities referred to in point (e) of paragraph 1 for operators shall keep copies of the records referred to in paragraph 1 for at least five years.
The records referred to in paragraph 1 shall be made available, on request, to the competent authority of the Member State concerned or to the Commission. To the extent that such records contain environmental information, Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) or Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) shall apply as appropriate.
Government Grants
Ask one of our air conditioning experts about ways we can help you to take advantage of Government grants that are currently available.
Chillaire Group Company Policies
GDRP – Privacy Policy
Revision Date: 21st May 2018
(General Data Protection Regulations Document Number: 002)
This privacy policy sets out how Chillaire Limited uses and protects any
Information that you may provide us.
Chillaire Limited is a business to business supplier of air conditioning, heating and ventilation equipment, services and support. Chillaire Limited is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
Our GDPR Principles:
We will process all personal data fairly and lawfully.
We will only process personal data for specified and lawful purposes.
We will endeavour to hold relevant and accurate personal data, and where practical, we will keep it up to date.
We will not keep personal data for longer than is necessary.
We will keep all personal data secure.
We will endeavour to ensure that personal data is not transferred to countries outside of the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) without adequate protection being in place.
Chillaire Limited may change this policy from time to time and updated copy can be requested at any time. This policy is effective from25th May 2018.
What we collect
Name and job title
Address and contact information including telephone number and email address
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with our services, and in particular for the following reasons:
Internal record keeping
Order processing
Provision of services and aftercare support
We may use the information to improve our products and services
We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers, revised quotations or other information which we think you may find of interest by email using the email address provided by you. You can request to unsubscribe from receiving any emails by replying to enquiries@chillaire.co.uk or by calling our office.
We may contact you from time to time for market research or for quality assurance exercise to complete a questionnaire for quality purposes.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.
Other Policies Available upon Request
Health & Safety
Environmental
Sustainability
Equal Opportunities
Alcohol & Substance Abuse
Working with Asbestos
COSHH
Fire
Quality Management
Communication
Customer Complaints
Chillaire currently has the following vacancies:
Air conditioning installation engineer
We are looking for an air conditioning installation engineer with qualifications or experience essential. Covering mainly the South Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, but going further when required. Need to have experience installing split systems, multi systems and VRV / VRF systems and on occasions you would be assisting our senior engineers or on your own if you have the capability of installing close control systems or chiller systems. Basic salary offered would be subject experience / qualifications plus overtime, vehicle, mobile phone and fuel card.
Air conditioning & heating service engineer
We are looking for an air conditioning and heating engineer with qualifications or experience essential. Need to have experience servicing split systems, multi systems and VRV / VRF systems, close control systems, chiller units, boilers, warm air heaters and radiant tube heaters. Covering mainly the South Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Coventry and Warwickshire Basic salary offered would be subject experience / qualifications plus overtime, vehicle, mobile phone and fuel card.
Air conditioning engineer & HVAC engineers
Air Conditioning Engineer required anyone with gas fired heating qualifications who has also been working on air conditioning systems and wants to further their career in Air conditioning service and maintenance and obtain their F-Gas certificate. We will provide training and experience. For full details please contact us.
We are also looking for fully qualified full HVAC engineers / multi task engineers. Please contact us for full details.
Good Basic Pay + Overtime + Vehicle + Fuel Card + Mobile Phone + Tools + Uniform + Training
Apply Now
Please complete the following form ensuring the position applied for is clearly noted in the cover letter and attach your CV below.
Do HVAC systems (Air Conditioning or Air Source Heat Pump) Need Planning Permission?
When any significant alterations are planned to be made to a property, you will need to check and ensure you comply with all relevant regulations, including planning permission and in some cases, this can apply to the installation of HVAC climate control systems such as air conditioning, heat pumps, heat recovery, ventilation and heating.
This article or news post is not intended (neither should it be taken) as official legal advice, it is only available on our website to provide some general guidance on HVAC systems installations in both residential and commercial properties.
Do You Need Planning Permission for Residential / Domestic HVAC systems such as Air Conditioning or Heat Pumps..?
In most cases, installation of residential / domestic air conditioning or air source heat pump systems falls under permitted development, which is, work that can be carried out without a planning application. This is because the external units installed have little impact on the property and its surroundings.
However as a general rule, no, you do not need planning permission to install a small HVAC system in a residential / domestic property, provided your external unit meets the following regulations:
It sits over one meter clear of any property boundaries
It sits over one meter clear of the edge of a flat roof
It is not installed on a pitched roof
It is under 0.6m3
There is no wind turbine at the property
There are, however, some exceptions to this rule. It’s likely you’ll need permission from your Local Planning Authority to install an AC system if your property sits on designated land, such as:
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
A National Park
A Conservation Area
A World Heritage Site
In some cases, separate rules apply if the property in question is a flat or a listed dwelling, and again if you’re looking to install a central air conditioning system which may have one common large external unit. It is always best practice seek advice from your Local Authority, even if you think your project falls under permitted development. If you go ahead with your installation and it emerges that permission was in fact needed, you may end up having to remove the system in its entirety.
Do You Need Planning Permission for Commercial HVAC systems..?
The situation is different for commercial applications and is a little more complex. It all depends on the specifics of the property, the type of commercial HVAC system you intend to install (air conditioning / air source heat pumps), and the impact this may have on the surrounding environment. For example, how close the external units sit to the perimeter of your site, or if they cause disruption to access.
We advise you follow best practice by contacting your Local Authority to discuss the proposed project before committing to any installation work. A reputable contractor will work with you to ensure your system design meets all legal requirements.
Additional HVAC System Regulations to Consider
As well as planning permission, take the following into account for any proposed installation projects:
Listed building consent – if your property is a listed building, you may need both planning permission (which deals with the external alterations) and listed building consent (which pertains to the character of the property itself). If this is the case, it is usually easier and more cost effective to apply for both at the same time.
Noise pollution – whilst there are not specific regulations around the noise of your HVAC system, it may would be being polite and considerate towards neighbours as if they did raise a noise complaint it can lead to an uncomfortable dispute. Modern HVAC systems are relatively quiet, however when planning a new installation it always worth looking at additional measures such as considering the location of the external units and natural soundproofing.
F-Gas regulations – anyone handling or working with fluorinated gases (F-gases) must be qualified to do so, and since these are refrigerants used in air conditioning systems, you will need ensure you choose an accredited contractor. For larger installations in commercial and industrial settings, you will also need to ensure you meet your own legal obligations under F-Gas Regulations.
Building regulations – in some cases, you might need building regulations approval. All Chillaire Ltd engineers are qualified and Chillaire Limited itself is a member of the BESCA Competent Person Scheme, allowing us to self-certify AC installations under Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations in England and Wales.
