Keep Your Cool This Summer – With Planned Preventative Air Conditioning Maintenance

It’s that time of year again, when the weather begins to change, and we move from cooler to warmer weather. We also know that as we move towards the summer season the UK has a propensity towards heatwaves. This is borne out by the UK Government’s research briefing “Public health impacts of heat” which recognises the change in UK climate is leading to an “increase in frequency, duration and magnitude of extreme heat events, including heatwaves” and a study “Climate change made UK heatwave more intense and at least 10 times more likely, carried out by leading climate scientists from the World Weather Attribution group, which found that human-caused climate change will increase the likelihood and severity of heatwaves in the UK faster and ten times more likely than predicted.

Given that we are likely to experience some extended periods of hot weather as we move into the summer, now is the time to think about ensuring your air conditioning system is performing efficiently and efficiently. Foregoing pre-summer air conditioning maintenance can be a recipe for disaster leading to a multitude of issues and costly repair bills. Proactive care can save you time, and money and give you piece of mind that your air conditioning system will be able to cope throughout the summer no matter what the outside temperature and no matter how hard your system has to work to maintain the cool.

Why Pre-Summer Preventative Air Conditioning Maintenance Is Key

Below are a few of the many reasons why it’s vital to proactively maintain your air conditioning system before summer temperatures kick in and when your air conditioning needs to work harder to maintain a cool indoor temperature.

Preventing Breakdowns

The last thing you want when temperatures are high is for your air conditioning system to fail leaving you to cope with excessive temperatures. Proactive, preventative maintenance can help to identify and resolve issues, big or small before they turn into major and potentially expensive problems or breakdowns. Preventative maintenance can spot wear and tear, clogged filters, dirty condenser coils or refrigerant leaks that might go unnoticed until it’s too late and the system breaks down.

Extend The Lifespan Of The Air Conditioning System

Maintaining an air conditioning system can significantly extend its lifespan. Like any complex piece of equipment taking good care of it through regular maintenance can help to identify, diagnose and address minor issues before they escalate into major problems, avoiding unnecessary wear and tear and thereby prolonging the overall lifespan of the system as well as its individual parts.

Extend The Lifespan Of The Building

By having air conditioning and maintaining it you are also maintaining your building structure and integrity by controlling indoor temperature and humidity you are extending its lifespan and reducing the need for costly repairs.

Where temperature and humidity aren’t controlled, it can result in the build-up of moisture which can lead to damage through damp, the growth of mould and mildew, wood rot and potential corrosion. An air conditioning system which is performing efficiently will maintain the right indoor temperature, clean and dehumidify the air which in turn will create a healthy indoor environment, which will extend the life of the building.

Consistent Reliable Performance

You’ll want your air conditioning system to reliably perform in terms of maintaining a set temperature, keeping relative humidity within a range of 40-60% for health and comfort and filtering the air to maintain the indoor air quality. An air conditioning system is complex and made up of many parts, any of which can fail so regular air conditioning maintenance is crucial for ensuring an air condition system’s consistent and reliable performance. Regular maintenance can help to diagnose problems and prevent future breakdowns and downtime leading to the consistent performance of the system. When the system is properly maintained it can operate efficiently and effectively providing a comfortable environment all year round.

Fewer (Unexpected) Problems

With consistent reliable performance comes fewer unexpected problems. Planned preventative maintenance does exactly what it suggests. By finding and addressing small issues or failing parts before they fully manifest themselves into system failures or downtime planned preventative maintenance  prevents unexpected air conditioning system breakdowns as the system will be in good condition throughout the year.

Improved Air Quality

Air conditioning doesn’t just maintain a set indoor temperature. In fact, air conditioning also dehumidifies the air and plays a major role in keeping the air clean within a building.

Air conditioners filter the air they take in as long as the system is properly taken care of. Where filters are cleaned or replaced as required and the system is well maintained then your air conditioner will filter out dust, pollen, particulates, and germs. By removing these pollutants air conditioning improves the indoor air quality.

Better Energy Efficiency

Air conditioning maintenance can have a major positive impact on the energy efficiency of an air conditioning system. When an air conditioning system is experiencing issues and it’s not performing effectively or efficiently it’s likely that the system will be using far more energy as it has to work harder to maintain the set temperature, reduce humidly and keep the air clean.

Planned preventative maintenance ensures the system is working optimally and can address the energy efficiency of your system to ensure that all parts of it are working efficiently and effectively ensuring only that energy which is required is used to power the system.

Cost Savings

Planned preventative maintenance of an air conditioning system can lead to significant on-going cost savings. Regular maintenance can prevent breakdowns, improve energy efficiency and extend the lifespan of the system. Where regular maintenance isn’t carried out component failures are likely. Replacing parts can be costly especially when there are multiple failures, or where a failing part impacts a perfectly good part. By maintaining the system, issues are more likely to be detected, breakdowns prevented, leading to cost savings.

Health and Wellbeing

A well-maintained air conditioning system plays a vital role indoors in creating a healthy environment. Extreme temperatures like those experienced during a heatwave can be a danger to health and wellbeing.

Air conditioning can help to mitigate the effects of heat-related illness which range in severity from cramps, headaches, nausea, dehydration, heat rashes, heat exhaustion and heat stroke by keeping the indoor temperature within a comfortable range that helps to regulate body temperature and reduces the risk of overheating and dehydration.

An air conditioning system can also provide a crucial function in improving the air quality by filtering out particulates, pollutants and allergens thereby reducing allergies and respiratory conditions like asthma. Poor ventilation is believed to be one of the major contributors to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).

Employee Productivity

Research tells us that high indoor temperatures can have a major impact on employee productivity.

There have been numerous studies which show that productivity falls when indoor spaces become unbearably hot. A survey of 1000 office workers carried out by Fellowes, found that 37% of office workers were distracted (and therefore less productive) when their office space was uncomfortably hot. A study led by the University of Exeter found that for every 1°C increase in outdoor temperature, productivity dropped by 0.83%. A ScienceDirect paper indicates that higher temperatures can negatively affect cognitive performance, especially for complex tasks. Another survey carried out for Andrews Air Conditioning found that approximately 2% of office hours in the UK, or £13 billion a year, were wasted due to temperature issues.

Keep Customers Coming Back

For many businesses including hotels, restaurants, gyms and retail its important to ensure that customers are confortable. It’s no exaggeration to say that a poorly performing air conditioning system, in these environments, can make or break a business which can lead to bad reviews, resulting in a loss of business - particularly during hot summer months. Take a look at our article on "Why is air conditioning important to a Hotel's reputation?" It’s therefore important to maintain your air conditioning system so that it continues working efficiently and effectively every day, all year round, because you may not get a second chance to keep your customers happy and wanting to come back.

UK Law

Refrigerant based systems with a CO2 equivalent charge weight over 5 tonnes need to ensure they comply with current F-Gas legislative requirements. Part of complying with UK F-Gas regulations and legislation must include regular air conditioning inspections and maintenance. The frequency of inspections and maintenance depends on the CO² equivalent charge weight of your air conditioning system:

• 5-50 tonnes and above – at least every 12 months
• 50-500 tonnes and above – at least every 6 months
• 500 tonnes and above – at least every 3 months

Leak detection systems must be installed in systems with 500 tonnes or more of F-gases. If a leak is detected and repaired, a further check must be carried out within one month to ensure that the repair has been effective. Operators must look to prevent and repair any air conditioning refrigerant leaks as soon as possible. Any work including leakage checks, repairs, service and maintenance must be carried out by a professional air conditioning maintenance engineer.

Detailed service and maintenance records of all work carried out to the air conditioning system must be kept ready for inspection. Records should contain information on the type of F-Gas within the system and the quantity contained, added or recovered.  Dates of leakage checks, and the equipment checked. The name of the air conditioning maintenance engineer carrying out the servicing. The engineer should be certified to carry out the checks and service and must understand the relevant regulations.

Get Ahead Of the Crowd

When temperatures rise so too can the numbers of air conditioning emergency call outs for broken-down air conditioning units in offices, restaurants, hotels and retail outlets. Planned preventative maintenance clients take priority so without a maintenance plan you may find your self at the back of a very long queue during a heatwave when you can least afford for your air conditioning system to go down.

Peace Of Mind

As a business owner you have a myriad of responsibilities. When you have a maintenance plan in place its one less thing for you and your business to worry about. With planned preventative maintenance, you can leave your air conditioning in the hands of the experts knowing that if there is an issue help is at hand to resolve any problems, prevent breakdowns and keep your air conditioning system running smoothly.

Planned Preventative Air Conditioning Maintenance

The functioning of an air conditioning system is something we take for granted day in and day out until something goes wrong. Taking a proactive approach to air conditioning maintenance can extend the lifespan of your system, reduce your energy costs and maintain a comfortable environment with good air quality.

Planned preventative air conditioning maintenance is critical to ensuring your air conditioning system remains fully operational, clean and energy efficient. It removes any uncertainty in the management of your air conditioning and gives you peace of mind. It also ensures your business remains fully compliant with F-Gas regulations.

Syncore is an expert in air conditioning design and installation and can install air conditioning in Kent, London, Surrey, Sussex, Essex, London and the wider UK. We are an approved supplier and installation expert for air conditioning brands, Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba and Daikin. These brands are the disruptors in developing clean and efficient cooling and heating solutions for commercial and residential properties.

If you are looking to install a new air conditioning installation or need to replace an old system, contact our team or call on 01795 509 509. We’ll talk you through your options and provide you with expert advice on the right heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for you.