England and Wales. Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012
Do you need a TM44 air conditioning inspection?
If you control an air conditioning system whose effective rated output is more than 12kW, gov.uk states it must be regularly inspected by an energy assessor and that inspections must be no more than five years apart. The penalty for not holding a report is fixed at £300, and a further £200 applies if you cannot produce it for Trading Standards within seven days. Tell us about your building and accredited assessors will quote you directly.
How it works
- Tell us what is installed, how big it is and when it was last inspected. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to accredited air conditioning energy assessors covering your postcode, and to no one else.
- They quote you directly for the inspection and the lodged report. Compare, choose, or walk away.
TM44 Quote is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to accredited air conditioning energy assessors who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by CIBSE, and not affiliated with MHCLG, the Energy Performance of Buildings Register or any accreditation scheme. Nothing here is legal advice: gov.uk states that any interpretation of the regulations is offered only as a guide and that independent legal advice should be sought in cases of doubt. Statutory figures were read from gov.uk on 14 August 2026 and apply to England and Wales.
The TM44 air conditioning inspection duty, as gov.uk states it
Last updated
Every row below is what the government's guide to air conditioning inspections says, read on 14 August 2026. The guide explains the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 as amended in 2020, and incorporates extracts from CIBSE TM44, which is where the working name for the inspection comes from.
Sourced entirely from the gov.uk publication 'A guide to air conditioning inspections in buildings' (updated 18 September 2024, applies to England and Wales), read on 14 August 2026. Buildings in Scotland and Northern Ireland fall under separate requirements that this table does not cover. No prices appear here: inspection fees are set by individual assessors and there is no published national fee we could honestly quote, so the price drivers are set out in our cost guide instead. Gov.uk states that any interpretation of the regulations is offered only as a guide and that independent legal advice should be sought in cases of doubt.
| Question | What the gov.uk guide states | Why it bites |
|---|---|---|
| Which systems are in scope? | Anything above 12kW effective rated output, and gov.uk counts a set of sub-12kW units towards that threshold once their combined output passes it | Buildings full of small split units are routinely assumed to be out of scope, and are not |
| What counts as one system? | Gov.uk treats every unit in a building under one person's control as a single air conditioning system for the purposes of the regulations | You cannot split a building into small systems to get under the threshold |
| How often? | Inspections must be no more than five years apart | There is no reminder service; the clock runs from your last inspection date |
| Who carries the duty? | Whoever controls the system's technical functioning. Gov.uk excludes anyone whose only involvement is adjusting the temperature or the controls | Under a full repairing and insuring lease the guide states the occupier controls the system |
| What if you inherit a building? | A new operator handed no report by the previous one must have the system inspected within three months of taking over control | Three months is far shorter than the five year cycle most people assume applies |
| Who may inspect? | An energy assessor who is a current member of an accreditation scheme; reports produced on or after 6 April 2012 must contain a valid reference number, generated only once the report is lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register | An unlodged report has no reference number, so it does not discharge the duty |
| What is the penalty? | Fixed in the regulations and currently £300 for failing to have an air conditioning inspection report | It is a penalty charge notice, not a prosecution, so it is quick and cheap to issue |
| And if you cannot produce it? | A further penalty fixed at £200 for failing to give a Trading Standards Officer a copy within seven days of a request | A copy can be requested up to six months after the last day for compliance |
- Where an air conditioning system's effective rated output exceeds 12kW, gov.uk requires regular inspection by an energy assessor, with no gap longer than five years between one inspection and the next.
- The penalty for failing to have an air conditioning inspection report is fixed in the regulations at £300, with a further £200 penalty for failing to supply a copy to a Trading Standards Officer within seven days of a request.
- Individual air conditioning units each under 12kW are counted together: gov.uk states the regulations catch systems consisting of individual units under 12kW whose combined effective rated output is more than 12kW.
Cite this page
“The TM44 air conditioning inspection duty, as gov.uk states it”, TM44 Quote, https://tm44quote.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). Sourced entirely from the gov.uk publication 'A guide to air conditioning inspections in buildings' (updated 18 September 2024, applies to England and Wales), read on 14 August 2026. Buildings in Scotland and Northern Ireland fall under separate requirements that this table does not cover. No prices appear here: inspection fees are set by individual assessors and there is no published national fee we could honestly quote, so the price drivers are set out in our cost guide instead. Gov.uk states that any interpretation of the regulations is offered only as a guide and that independent legal advice should be sought in cases of doubt.
Related guides
Sourced, dated, kept current.
- TM44 regulations: what the law actually requires in England and Wales
TM44 is the CIBSE methodology behind the statutory air conditioning inspection. What the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations require, in scope terms.
- What does a TM44 inspection cost, and what moves the price?
There is no published national fee for a TM44 air conditioning inspection. The eight things assessors price on, and what to put in your enquiry to get comparable quotes.
- TM44 penalties: the £300 charge, the £200 charge, and enforcement
Gov.uk fixes the penalty for having no air conditioning inspection report at £300, plus £200 for not producing a copy within seven days. How enforcement runs.
- The TM44 report, the register, and who has to hold it
An air conditioning inspection report only counts once lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. Who must keep it, hand it on, and the three month rule.
The questions we get
What is a TM44 inspection?
The statutory inspection of an air conditioning system by an accredited energy assessor, named after CIBSE TM44, the publication describing the assessment methodology. In England and Wales it falls due wherever effective rated output exceeds 12kW, and gov.uk allows no more than five years between one inspection and the next.
What size air conditioning needs a TM44 inspection?
More than 12kW effective rated output. Gov.uk states this includes systems made up of individual units each under 12kW whose combined effective rated output is more than 12kW, and that units in a building controlled by a single person count as one system.
How often is a TM44 inspection needed?
No more than five years apart, on gov.uk's wording. A separate clock applies when control changes hands: take over a system with no report from the previous operator and gov.uk gives you three months from the handover date.
Who is responsible for getting the inspection done?
The person who controls the operation of the system. Gov.uk describes that as the person controlling its technical functioning, not someone who merely adjusts the temperature, and states that the owner usually controls the system even where day to day operation is contracted out. Under a full repairing and insuring lease, the occupier controls it.
What happens if you do not have a report?
Gov.uk states the penalty for failing to have an air conditioning inspection report is fixed at £300, with a further £200 penalty for failing to give a Trading Standards Officer a copy within seven days of a request. A copy can be requested up to six months after the last day for compliance.
Is a TM44 inspection the same as an F gas check?
No. The gov.uk air conditioning inspection guidance places F gas inspection outside its remit, so the two obligations run in parallel on different clocks: this one on a five year cycle by building, F gas on a frequency set by refrigerant charge. Assume neither is covered by your maintenance contract until someone shows you it is.
Is this quote service really free?
Yes, free to you, with no obligation to accept any quote. We pass your details only to accredited air conditioning energy assessors covering your area; we may receive a fee from those providers, which is how the service is funded.