Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of his Department’s buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with output greater than 250kW; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations came into force; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report.

Mr. Woodward
My Department has only one building equipped with an air conditioning system with output greater than 250 kW for which we are directly responsible. Under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 we are required to have this system inspected by 4 January 2010 and we intend to do so.

We will place a copy of the report in the Library when it is available.

Grant Shapps
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations came into force.

Mr. Woodward
To date nothing has been spent on carrying out inspections of our air conditioning systems in accordance with the regulations.

Under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008, for all systems first put into service on or after 30 December 2008, the first inspection must have taken place within five years of the date when it was first put into service; for air-conditioning systems where the effective rated output is more than 250 kW the first inspection must happen by 4 January 2010; and for other air-conditioning systems where the effective rated output is not more than 250 kW the first inspection must happen by 4 January 2011. We fully intend to comply with all these deadlines.