Air Conditioning, Refrigeration And The Law...
CREATE THE BEST ENVIRONMENT YOU CAN AND REDUCE YOUR RUNNING COSTS, INCREASE THE COMFORT FOR MEMBERS AND STAFF WHILST ATTRACTING NEW MEMBERS.
Air Conditioning is much more than just cooling; it’s an extremely cost effective way to heat your club and save money!!
18 years in the Club industry business has made Envtec the market leader in the design, installation and service of Air conditioning. Approved by the Association of Conservative Clubs, English Indoor Bowling Clubs as well as a long term and supplier to the C.I.U as well as being approved by Route, the industries recognised buying agency. The list is ever increasing and will see the addition of at least two more major recognised associations over the next year.
Our free advice service includes personal visits, but also we attend seminars all over the UK for all of our business partners (organisations above) where we are available to answer questions and give advice on best practice.
Choosing the correct equipment
Choosing the correct equipment is vital to any successful installation. It must be remembered that the primary market for the sale of Air Conditioning is Offices and Shops, not Social Clubs. Selecting air conditioning for a Club is completely different to designing a system under normal conditions. Where else do you get rooms that cater for 5 to 500 people, many of whom sit in the same seat week after week, and who have a right to complain if their comfort is disrupted. Where else are rooms empty at 6.30 then full to capacity by 9.00. The room needs to be warm to receive members but the temperature needs to be controlled as the room gets busy. Many Clubs also have a dance floor which needs to be kept cool, but at the same time members sitting in the same room need to sit in a comfortable temperature.
Running Costs
When selecting the right equipment be sure to take advice on the efficiency of the equipment. Normally the better the quality the more efficient the performance in terms of electricity use. You will hear terms like inverter driven, Band A, Band B etc. You will need professional advice on what is best for you but in the main inverter or super inverter products are more efficient and softer on your electrical supply so look out for products with these features. Also check out the products on the Government’s Carbon Trust website, low carbon emissions tends to mean high efficiency so it is well worth a look.
The bottom line – getting the right advice about equipment selection is probably one of the most important aspects of choosing your air conditioning, get it wrong and there will be a price to pay. Get it right and the benefits are there for all to see.
Regulations are unfortunately not as easy to identify in the air conditioning industry as say for example, if you were fitting a boiler at home. We all know Corgi registration as a standard. A/C guidelines are less clear at the moment though hopefully this will change in the near future. Look out for certification such as Safe Gas Handling and ask to see the certification of the engineers who will be attending your Club. Make sure they are recognised by official bodies such as the Construction Industry Training Board. The safest starting point is to get a written guarantee that the installation will be carried out by engineers who are directly employed by the company who you place your order with, don’t accept sub contract labour.
Finally, from July 4th this year if you have air conditioning it will be a legal requirement to have it regularly serviced. We recommend twice per year to carry out leak checks to a specific schedule. The schedule will be established by the European Commission later this year. Make sure that only certified companies carry out leakage checks and that you have access to records of the work carried out and the type of refrigerants used.
