SUMMER MAINTENANCE
essential to use air conditioning units that are from renewable and sustainable sources. Panasonic are recognised for their energy efficient and sustainable approach to heating and cooling and well known for introducing multiple new ways to maintain systems, whilst upholding energy efficiency and sustainability.
Regulations regarding the energy consumption of buildings are growing ever more stringent, with buildings in the UK being forced to reduce energy consumption and move towards zero-carbon status. One very effective way of meeting these regulations is by regularly inspecting air conditioning systems to ensure they are running at peak efficiency.
Regular inspections are enforced by the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), in order to stay on the right side of the law, building owners must schedule inspections and report the results of these inspections to the central Non-Domestic Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Register. The EPBD also stipulates that buildings must move towards being zero-energy, a serious challenge for building owners and managers. An air conditioning system that is poorly maintained with parts that do not function efficiently risks increasing energy usage and adversely impacting a building’s capability to reach its zero-energy target.
“Keeping an air conditioning system well maintained does not just save money on refrigerants, it also ensures optimal performance and parts will need replacing less often.”
These tough regulations and need for regular inspections can provide the installer with the opportunity to offer clients a long-term service contract, where the contractor will provide maintenance, regular inspections and refurbish the system where necessary for an annual fee. This can help provide contractors with a stable, long-term source of income and help to strengthen relationships with existing clients.
Paying the price of poor maintenance Regular maintenance can prolong the life of AC units and highlight operational wear and tear within the system such as refrigerant leak detection. As refrigerant prices climb ever higher, the cost of replacing the lost refrigerant can be very expensive, which can mean significant downtime for the system while it is replaced which is why having a comprehensive leak detection system, and subsequent maintenance programme is important.
Of course, keeping an air conditioning system well maintained does not just save money on refrigerants, it also ensures optimal performance and parts will need
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replacing less often. Ideally any potential issues will be identified and solved before they become serious problems. By educating the user about the importance of regular maintenance of an air conditioning system during the specification, will add value for those looking to provide a premium service to their customers.
At Panasonic we believe in trying to prevent leaks as early as possible, by minimising the damage that a leak can do. That’s why Panasonic introduced the Pump Down System for its VRF range, which continually monitors refrigerant levels, provides a warning when refrigerant levels drop and isolates that part of the system, preventing any major loss and potential damage to the system’s efficiency. This gives building owners and managers peace of mind, because they know that any leak will be detected and managed automatically.
Get smart The Internet of Things and the development of different technologies and appliances connected to the internet have the potential to revolutionise the maintenance of building services, including air conditioning. There are several smart control systems on the market that connect air conditioning units to the internet and then enable remote monitoring, control and maintenance of the system via an online platform, accessible from any web browser, tablet or smartphone.
Remote maintenance and monitoring can mean huge advantages for facilities managers and installers who offer maintenance contracts to their customers. If managers and installers can monitor the performance of air conditioning units, they can see that a unit is not performing as it should be and schedule a maintenance visit.
With a truly smart air conditioning system, such as Panasonic’s AC Smart Cloud, installers may be able to diagnose the issue through the web portal in addition to some cases being solved remotely. Even though remote maintenance is not possible in all cases, being able to see what the exact issue enables installers to prioritise maintenance obligations so that they do not have to spend time travelling to a site and attending to an issue that did not necessarily require urgent attention.
This remote monitoring and maintenance can be particularly useful in applications where a robust, stable air conditioning system is critical to the business, such as data centres and server rooms. Installers can monitor the performance level of air conditioning units and receive alerts when performance drops below a certain level. This project can then be prioritised, and the installer can ensure that crucially important air conditioning systems remain operational and that business activities are not interrupted.
Maintenance and servicing should be a crucial element of an installer’s business in order to form long-standing customer relationships. Whilst this will also give customers peace of mind that they are safe in the hands of their installer to care for their new HVAC solution.
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