Installers of Domestic and Commercial Solar Photovoltaic
We are an Accredited MCS installer for Solar Photovoltaic. MSC Number: 1952.
Gas Regulations
The European Union’s F-gas Regulation No 842/2006 includes a new legal requirement that all companies employing personnel and engineers working on equipment containing F-Gas (HFC) refrigerants must be certified by a dedicated Company Registration Scheme by 4th July2011. AES are Refcom Registered.
The Regulation aims to minimize emissions of these gases, which affect global warming if they escape into the air.
User Responsibilities:
"Operators" are defined as the people or organizations that have actual power over the technical functioning of the equipment. The legal responsibility for compliance with the Regulation lies with the "Operator". Any equipment small enough to plug in rather than have to be permanently wired is likely to be excluded from the requirements, other than an overall requirement to prevent leakage and to repair any leaks as soon as possible.
For stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump units over 3kg charge (6kg if hermetic) "Operators" must:
- Prevent leakage, and repair any leaks as soon as possible.
- Arrange proper refrigerant recovery by certified personnel during servicing and disposal.
- Carry out leak checks to the schedule shown below.
- Ensure that only certified competent personnel carry out leakage checks. AES engineers are all 2079 qualified.
- Maintain records of refrigerants and of servicing.
For non-stationary equipment (e.g. mobile units on trucks) and any other products containing F-gases, "Operators" must ensure that appropriately qualified personnel are used to recover gases, as long as this is feasible and not excessively expensive.
Leak Checking Schedule:
The leak checks must be carried out according to the procedure laid down by the Commission in October 2007. The schedule for leak checks varies depending on the amount of refrigerant in the system, as follows:-
- At least annually for applications with 3kg or more of F-gases (unless the equipment is hermetically sealed and labeled as such, in which case the threshold is up to 6kg).
- At least once every six months for applications with 30kg or more of F-gases.
- At least once every three months for applications with 300kg or more F-gases.
- Leakage detection systems must be installed on applications with 300kg or more of F-gases and when these are in place, checking requirements are halved.
- 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.
Maintenance and Servicing Records:
"Operators" of all stationary system containing 3kg or more F-gases must maintain records including:-
- Quantity and type of F-gases installed, added or recovered.
- Identification of the company or technician carrying out servicing and details of the "Operator".
- Dates and results of leakage checks, specifically identifying separate pieces of equipment containing 30kgs or more of refrigerant.
It is the "Operators" responsibility to ensure that the relevant servicing personnel have obtained the necessary certification, which shows that they understand the regulations and are competent. All AES engineers are 2079 qualified which is the pre requisite qualification required.
