Does a TM44 Assessor Inspect Every AC Unit?

If a commercial building has five air-conditioning units, the inspection scope may appear straightforward.

But what happens when a building has 30 indoor units? Or 80 fan coil units? Or several VRF systems serving multiple floors? Does a TM44 assessor physically inspect every cassette, every wall-mounted unit and every item of cooling equipment individually?

The answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no.

A professional TM44 inspection is an assessment of the building’s relevant air-conditioning systems and their energy performance. The number of visible indoor units is important, but it does not by itself determine how the inspection should be carried out.

Depending on the installation, the assessor may need to examine individual systems directly while using representative sampling for groups of similar components. The appropriate approach depends on factors such as system type, configuration, controls, age, condition, accessibility and whether groups of equipment genuinely operate in a comparable way.

That distinction is particularly important in larger commercial buildings.

A site may have 50 ceiling cassettes but only four VRF outdoor systems. Another building may have 20 visually identical wall-mounted units that are actually 20 independent split systems. Those two properties cannot automatically be approached in the same way.

Understanding this before the survey helps building owners, facilities managers and managing agents prepare properly, provide better information and avoid surprises on inspection day.

If you are unfamiliar with the process, start with our guide explaining what a TM44 inspection is and our main TM44 air-conditioning inspection service.

Does a TM44 Assessor Have to Inspect Every Air-Conditioning Unit?

Not necessarily every individual indoor unit in exactly the same depth.

But that does not mean equipment can simply be ignored.

The assessor needs to understand the air-conditioning installation sufficiently to assess its composition, operation, controls, condition and energy-efficiency characteristics.

In relatively small installations, that may mean physically examining most or all of the relevant equipment.

In large installations containing many similar units, an appropriate representative approach may be used for some repeated components, provided the assessor can establish that the selected equipment genuinely represents the wider group.

The important distinction is between:

identifying the systems that exist

and

physically examining every repetitive component to exactly the same depth.

Those are not the same thing.

A large commercial building should not suddenly lose 40 units from consideration simply because only a smaller representative selection is examined in detail.

A competent assessment should first establish the installation and the relevant system groups. The inspection strategy can then be developed from that information.

This is one reason a good air-conditioning asset register can make such a substantial difference.

One of the Biggest TM44 Mistakes: Counting Indoor Units Instead of Understanding Systems

Building owners often describe their installation by saying:

“We have 35 AC units.”

That information is useful, but to an assessor it immediately creates more questions.

What exactly are those 35 units?

Are they:

  • 35 independent split systems?
  • 35 indoor units connected to five VRF systems?
  • cassette units connected to several outdoor condensers?
  • fan coil units served by central chilled water?
  • a mixture of VRF, splits and server-room cooling?
  • landlord equipment combined with tenant-installed systems?

The answer changes the inspection scope.

For TM44 purposes, understanding the system architecture matters far more than simply counting what can be seen from inside the rooms.

Example: 40 ceiling cassettes

Imagine an office building with 40 ceiling-mounted indoor units.

At first glance, someone may assume the assessor must complete 40 separate assessments.

But further investigation shows:

  • 40 indoor cassettes
  • connected across four VRF systems
  • ten indoor units per outdoor system
  • broadly similar equipment
  • common manufacturer
  • similar age
  • centralised controls
  • regular maintenance records available

The assessor is dealing with four substantial interconnected systems containing multiple terminal units.

That is fundamentally different from a building containing 40 completely independent split systems installed at different times by different contractors.

This is why a quotation based only on “number of units” can sometimes be misleading.

What Does Sampling Mean During a TM44 Inspection?

Sampling means examining a representative selection of similar equipment rather than treating every repetitive item as if it were completely independent.

However, the word “sampling” should not be interpreted as:

“Look at a few units and ignore everything else.”

Professional sampling needs context.

The assessor needs enough information to determine whether the equipment being grouped together really is comparable.

Relevant factors may include:

  • manufacturer
  • model or equipment family
  • system type
  • age
  • cooling capacity
  • physical condition
  • control arrangement
  • operating pattern
  • maintenance regime
  • building area served
  • occupancy type
  • accessibility
  • environmental conditions
  • known faults
  • refurbishment history

If equipment differs materially across these areas, a single small sample may not adequately represent the installation.

What Makes a Group of AC Units Suitable for Representative Inspection?

Consider a modern office floor containing 24 identical ceiling cassettes installed at the same time.

They:

  • are the same make and model
  • serve broadly similar office areas
  • connect to the same type of VRF system
  • are maintained under the same contract
  • have comparable operating hours
  • use the same control strategy
  • show no known major differences in condition

That is a relatively homogeneous group.

Compare that with a building containing:

  • six 15-year-old wall splits
  • eight newer cassettes
  • three server-room systems
  • two VRF installations
  • four tenant-installed units
  • one system that has been isolated
  • several units with unknown maintenance history

Calling all of those assets “air-conditioning units” does not make them one representative group.

A competent assessor needs to understand those differences.

Sampling Should Never Hide an Important Problem

The purpose of representative sampling is efficiency and practicality, not to reduce the quality of the assessment.

If the assessor finds evidence that a group is less uniform than expected, the inspection may need to expand.

For example, imagine ten apparently identical indoor units.

The first unit inspected is clean and functioning normally.

The second shows a heavily contaminated filter.

The third has a damaged controller.

The fourth serves a meeting room where staff report persistent overheating.

At that point, treating the entire group as operationally identical becomes increasingly questionable.

The emerging evidence suggests differences that deserve investigation.

This is why experienced assessor judgement matters.

If you want to understand what competence and accreditation mean in this area, see our guide to who can carry out a TM44 inspection.

What Does a TM44 Assessor Actually Inspect?

A TM44 inspection is not simply a visual exercise where someone counts AC units and photographs model numbers.

The assessment looks at the wider air-conditioning system and its operation.

Depending on the installation and inspection scope, this can involve several areas.

1. Air-Conditioning Plant

The assessor will seek to understand the main cooling equipment.

This could include:

  • split-system condensers
  • VRF and VRV outdoor units
  • chillers
  • packaged systems
  • heat-pump cooling equipment
  • dedicated cooling plant
  • specialist air-conditioning systems

Equipment information can help establish capacity, configuration, age and likely performance characteristics.

2. Indoor Air-Conditioning Units

Indoor equipment may include:

  • ceiling cassettes
  • wall-mounted units
  • ducted units
  • floor-mounted units
  • fan coil units
  • air-handling equipment
  • other terminal units

The assessor may review condition, operation, cleanliness, controls and how representative equipment relates to the wider system.

3. Outdoor Units and Condensing Plant

Outdoor equipment is extremely important.

Two buildings can each contain 30 indoor units but have very different outdoor-system arrangements.

The outdoor plant can help establish:

  • system grouping
  • nominal cooling capacity
  • manufacturer and model
  • system age
  • physical condition
  • installation arrangement
  • accessibility
  • whether the asset register appears accurate

For large VRF/VRV installations, understanding which indoor units connect to which outdoor systems can be particularly valuable.

4. Controls

Controls are a major part of air-conditioning efficiency.

An otherwise efficient piece of equipment can waste significant energy if it is badly controlled.

The assessor may therefore consider matters such as:

  • temperature setpoints
  • operating schedules
  • local controllers
  • central controllers
  • thermostats
  • zoning
  • simultaneous heating and cooling
  • time schedules
  • occupancy alignment
  • BMS integration
  • override practices

A building can have relatively modern plant while still performing poorly because of inappropriate control settings.

Our detailed article on the TM44 compliance gap between BMS data, maintenance and energy information explains why these sources of evidence should be looked at together rather than in isolation.

5. Maintenance Condition

TM44 is not the same as an air-conditioning maintenance visit.

The assessor is not attending simply to clean filters, repair faults or service compressors.

However, maintenance condition is relevant to energy performance.

Evidence may include:

  • dirty filters
  • blocked heat exchangers
  • damaged components
  • poor airflow
  • neglected outdoor units
  • obvious deterioration
  • unresolved faults
  • inconsistent maintenance records

A valid maintenance contract should not automatically be treated as proof that the air-conditioning system is operating efficiently.

Likewise, a PPM contract does not automatically equal TM44 compliance.

6. Cooling Capacity and Building Demand

The inspection can also consider whether cooling provision appears appropriate for the building and the areas served.

Oversized systems may cycle inefficiently.

Undersized systems may operate excessively while struggling to achieve desired conditions.

Building use may also have changed significantly since installation.

An office originally designed for 50 people might now accommodate 100.

A former storage area may have become a server room.

Partitioning may have altered zones.

Tenant fit-outs may have introduced additional systems.

Cooling demand therefore cannot always be understood purely from the original design.

How VRF and VRV Systems Change the Inspection Approach

VRF and VRV installations are a good example of why “number of AC units” can be misleading.

A multi-storey office may contain dozens of indoor cassettes.

But those indoor units may form parts of several centralised refrigerant systems.

For example:

Floor 1

12 indoor units → VRF System A

Floor 2

14 indoor units → VRF System B

Floor 3

11 indoor units → VRF System C

Meeting rooms

6 indoor units → VRF System D

The property contains 43 visible indoor units, but understanding the four system groups may be more meaningful than treating the installation as 43 unrelated systems.

The assessor still needs sufficient evidence about the indoor components, controls and operating conditions, but the system architecture provides the context.

What About Independent Split Systems?

Independent splits are different.

Suppose a building contains 15 wall-mounted indoor units and 15 corresponding outdoor units.

They were installed gradually over 12 years.

Some are Mitsubishi.

Some are Daikin.

Some are Toshiba.

Several have different capacities.

Two cool server rooms continuously.

Others serve offices during working hours.

Three were installed by a tenant last year.

That installation is far less homogeneous.

The assessor cannot safely assume that one split system represents all 15 simply because they are all described as “split air conditioning”.

System diversity generally means more investigation is required.

Chillers, AHUs and Fan Coil Units

Large commercial buildings often contain systems that are substantially more complicated than conventional splits.

A building might use:

  • central chillers
  • chilled-water pumps
  • air handling units
  • fan coil units
  • central BMS control
  • separate ventilation plant
  • supplementary split systems
  • server-room cooling

In this situation, the assessor is trying to understand the complete cooling arrangement.

Simply counting 60 fan coil units tells only part of the story.

The central plant, distribution arrangement and controls may have much greater significance for overall energy performance.

This is particularly common in large offices, hotels, healthcare buildings, universities and other complex premises.

Does Mechanical Ventilation Matter?

It can.

Mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning systems frequently interact.

Air handling units may:

  • introduce outside air
  • extract stale air
  • contain heating or cooling coils
  • recover heat
  • distribute conditioned air
  • interact with central controls

Where ventilation plant forms part of or materially interacts with the conditioned environment and relevant system arrangement, it may need to be considered when establishing the proper inspection scope.

This is why we regularly ask customers whether a property contains AHUs, mechanical ventilation, heat recovery systems or related plant when obtaining information for a quotation.

Why the Asset Register Matters So Much

One of the most useful documents before a large TM44 inspection is an accurate AC asset register.

A good register might identify:

  • asset number
  • equipment location
  • manufacturer
  • model
  • unit type
  • nominal cooling capacity
  • indoor/outdoor relationship
  • installation date
  • operational status
  • maintenance information

It enables the assessor to understand the installation before arriving on site.

That can make system grouping much easier.

It can also expose discrepancies.

For example, the register says:

38 indoor units

But the site contains:

  • 38 registered units
  • four new tenant units
  • two server-room units absent from the register
  • three old systems marked as active but physically removed

The actual installation is different from the paperwork.

Our detailed guide to preparing an air-conditioning asset register for a TM44 inspection explains what information is most useful.

What If There Is No Asset Register?

A missing asset register does not automatically prevent a TM44 inspection.

But it may make the survey more difficult.

The assessor may need additional time to:

  • identify equipment
  • locate outdoor units
  • record model numbers
  • determine capacities
  • trace system relationships
  • clarify inaccessible equipment
  • separate live and decommissioned systems

This can affect both the inspection duration and quotation.

If your records are incomplete, our guide to arranging a TM44 inspection without an asset list explains the practical options.

What Happens If Some AC Units Cannot Be Accessed?

Access is another reason the “does every unit get inspected?” question cannot be answered with a universal rule.

Equipment may be located:

  • above suspended ceilings
  • on roofs
  • in locked plant rooms
  • inside tenant areas
  • in secure server rooms
  • behind restricted-access zones
  • in occupied hotel bedrooms
  • in healthcare treatment spaces
  • above high-level ceilings

The best approach is to identify access limitations before the inspection.

For example, if roof access requires:

  • a permit
  • escort
  • ladder
  • access code
  • site induction
  • specialist safety arrangements

the assessor should know beforehand.

Discovering on arrival that the main condenser plant is on an inaccessible roof can cause unnecessary delays.

Similarly, if 20 units are located inside tenanted offices, the landlord or managing agent may need to arrange access.

Can the inspection still proceed if one area is inaccessible?

Potentially, but it depends on what is inaccessible and how important that equipment is to the overall assessment.

There is a major difference between:

“One of 30 identical cassette units could not be viewed”

and

“The entire rooftop containing all main VRF outdoor units was inaccessible.”

The second problem is much more significant.

Where essential evidence cannot be obtained, additional information or a return visit may be required.

Case Study 1: Three-Storey Office With 48 Indoor Units

Consider a fictional but realistic three-storey commercial office.

The facilities manager tells the assessor:

“We have approximately 48 AC units.”

The asset register shows:

  • 48 ceiling cassettes
  • six VRF outdoor systems
  • eight indoor units associated with each system
  • same manufacturer
  • similar age
  • central controls
  • annual maintenance
  • plant located on accessible roof areas

The assessor first verifies the asset information and system structure.

Rather than treating the building as 48 independent systems, the assessment recognises six main VRF system groups.

Representative indoor equipment can then be selected intelligently across:

  • different floors
  • different zones
  • different occupancy conditions
  • different system groups

The assessor also examines:

  • outdoor VRF equipment
  • controllers
  • operating schedules
  • maintenance information
  • plant condition
  • relevant BMS settings
  • occupied areas

During the survey, one floor is discovered to operate two degrees cooler than the rest of the building.

That leads to further investigation of the control strategy.

The value of the inspection is therefore not determined by whether someone physically looks at 48 identical ceiling grilles.

It comes from understanding how the complete installation performs.

Case Study 2: Retail Building With 18 Independent Splits

Now consider a retail building with:

  • 18 independent split systems
  • four different manufacturers
  • installations dating from different years
  • several replacements
  • two stock-room systems
  • one communications-room system
  • several customer-area units
  • no central controller
  • limited maintenance records

The number of indoor units is much lower than the previous office.

But the inspection may actually require more individual investigation because the systems are less uniform.

Different systems may have:

  • different capacities
  • different efficiencies
  • different controls
  • different operating hours
  • different maintenance histories
  • different physical conditions

This demonstrates an important principle:

More indoor units does not automatically mean a proportionally larger TM44 inspection, and fewer units does not automatically mean a simple one.

System complexity matters.

Case Study 3: Hotel With 120 Fan Coil Units

Consider a hotel with:

  • 120 guest-room fan coil units
  • central chilled-water plant
  • two chillers
  • multiple pumps
  • several AHUs
  • BMS controls
  • supplementary split systems in server and communications rooms

Would the assessor need to enter all 120 bedrooms and inspect every fan coil unit individually?

The inspection needs to represent the installation adequately, but the useful engineering question is not simply whether 120 room terminals can be physically ticked off.

The assessor needs to understand:

  • central cooling generation
  • system distribution
  • representative terminal-unit condition
  • control arrangements
  • room temperature strategy
  • AHU interaction
  • plant schedules
  • maintenance
  • system efficiency
  • areas with different operating conditions

Representative sampling of genuinely comparable terminal equipment can help make a large-site assessment practical while still capturing meaningful evidence.

However, the separate server-room splits may need to be considered differently because their use, operating hours and control requirements differ from guest-room fan coils.

Case Study 4: Multi-Tenant Office With Hidden Systems

A managing agent believes a property contains four landlord VRF systems.

The inspection reveals that several tenants have installed additional equipment.

The building now contains:

  • landlord VRF systems
  • six tenant split systems
  • two kitchen cooling units
  • three communications-room units
  • one decommissioned system still shown on old drawings

This is exactly why system identification matters.

Tenant modifications can alter the building’s air-conditioning picture over time.

If your property has had tenant fit-outs, read our guide to tenant-installed air conditioning and TM44 compliance.

What About Decommissioned or Unused AC Units?

Another common complication is equipment that exists physically but is reportedly unused.

The assessor may need to establish whether equipment is genuinely decommissioned or simply switched off.

These are different situations.

A unit that has been permanently isolated and removed from service is not the same as operational equipment that the occupier happens not to use frequently.

Old systems may also remain on asset registers long after replacement.

Conversely, newly installed equipment may be absent from outdated registers.

Our guide to unused air-conditioning and TM44 compliance explores this issue in more detail.

How the 12 kW Threshold Fits Into the Picture

Before debating how many units must be inspected, the first question is whether the building’s qualifying air-conditioning system falls within TM44 requirements.

One common misconception is:

“None of our individual units is over 12 kW, so TM44 doesn’t apply.”

That can be wrong.

Multiple smaller units can form part of the overall calculation depending on the system and building circumstances.

If you are unsure whether your property is above the threshold, read our TM44 12 kW threshold guide and our detailed TM44 inspection requirements.

Do not rely solely on the capacity of the largest individual indoor unit.

Does the Number of Units Affect the Cost of a TM44 Inspection?

Yes, but not in isolation.

The number of assets is one factor in determining the likely workload.

Other factors can include:

  • system type
  • total capacity
  • number of independent systems
  • complexity
  • property size
  • number of floors
  • AHUs
  • chillers
  • ventilation systems
  • control complexity
  • available documentation
  • site access
  • roof access
  • tenant areas
  • travel requirements
  • existing asset information

For example, a site with 50 identical cassettes connected to a well-documented VRF installation might be easier to scope than a property with 20 independent systems and no reliable records.

For a broader explanation of pricing variables, see our TM44 inspection cost guide.

Does More Equipment Mean the Inspection Takes Longer?

Generally, greater complexity and larger installations increase survey time.

But once again, equipment count alone is not enough.

A highly organised facilities team can significantly improve efficiency by providing:

  • an accurate asset register
  • previous TM44 report
  • site plans
  • maintenance records
  • system schematics
  • BMS access
  • roof access
  • keys
  • escorts
  • known fault information

A poorly documented building can take much longer simply because the assessor has to reconstruct the system arrangement on site.

You can read more about typical timescales in how long a TM44 inspection takes.

What Should You Send Before Requesting a Quote?

For larger or more complicated buildings, the quality of the information provided before quotation can make a substantial difference.

Ideally send:

1. Full property address

Include building name and postcode.

2. Approximate number of AC units

Separate indoor and outdoor equipment where possible.

3. Asset register

Excel, PDF or another format is normally useful.

4. Make and model information

Especially outdoor units, chillers and major plant.

5. Cooling capacity

Where known.

6. Current or previous TM44 report

This can help establish the historical system scope.

7. Information about AHUs and ventilation plant

Do not only list visible room AC units.

8. Number of floors

Include plant rooms, roof areas and basement plant where relevant.

9. Access restrictions

Mention tenant areas, roof permits or security requirements.

10. Recent changes

Tell us about replacement systems, refurbishments, extensions and tenant installations.

Our guide explaining what we need from you for a TM44 quote provides a more detailed checklist.

Why Photographs Can Be Extremely Useful

If no asset register exists, photographs can sometimes help with preliminary scoping.

Useful images include:

  • outdoor-unit data plates
  • chiller nameplates
  • overall rooftop plant
  • indoor unit types
  • central controllers
  • AHUs
  • plant-room equipment

A photograph of a model plate can provide significantly more information than saying:

“We have two big air conditioners on the roof.”

This helps us understand the probable equipment type before arranging the survey.

A TM44 Inspection Is Not a Maintenance Service

This distinction deserves emphasis.

During a maintenance visit, an engineer may:

  • clean filters
  • check refrigerant
  • repair faults
  • replace components
  • clean coils
  • test pressures

A TM44 assessor has a different objective.

The purpose is to assess the air-conditioning system from an energy-performance and compliance perspective and provide recommendations.

Therefore, seeing maintenance engineers regularly does not remove the requirement for a relevant TM44 assessment where one is legally required.

Likewise, the TM44 assessor is not necessarily attending to repair the problems discovered.

After the report is issued, the recommendations can be reviewed and prioritised.

Our article on understanding TM44 report recommendations explains how to turn the report into a practical improvement plan.

What Problems Can a TM44 Inspection Reveal?

The inspection may identify issues that are not obvious to everyday building users.

Examples can include:

  • inappropriate control schedules
  • conflicting heating and cooling
  • excessive cooling setpoints
  • poorly maintained filters
  • dirty heat exchangers
  • ageing inefficient plant
  • equipment running outside occupied hours
  • unnecessary cooling of empty areas
  • poorly coordinated local controllers
  • oversized equipment
  • obsolete systems
  • incomplete asset information
  • poorly integrated tenant equipment

Some problems may require physical maintenance.

Others may be operational.

A controller adjustment can sometimes matter more than replacing equipment.

Our guide to common TM44 air-conditioning efficiency problems examines these issues in more detail.

Why Sampling and System Grouping Matter for Facilities Managers

Facilities managers often have to coordinate surveys without disrupting building operations.

Understanding system grouping in advance can make the inspection considerably easier.

Instead of preparing access to every room blindly, the FM team can help the assessor identify:

  • representative floor areas
  • plant rooms
  • rooftop systems
  • central control panels
  • different system types
  • unusual zones
  • high-use areas
  • server rooms
  • tenant systems
  • known problem equipment

That leads to a better planned survey.

It also means unusual systems are less likely to be overlooked.

For facilities professionals managing multiple obligations, our TM44 guide for facilities managers provides additional guidance.

Large Buildings Need Better Preparation, Not Simply More Box-Ticking

For a small shop with a handful of split systems, the equipment may be relatively easy to locate and assess.

For a corporate headquarters containing hundreds of terminal units, a different level of preparation is required.

The assessment needs to understand the system architecture.

That may involve:

  • dividing the property into system groups
  • reviewing central plant
  • selecting representative terminal units
  • checking different occupancy zones
  • comparing controls
  • verifying documentation
  • investigating anomalies

That is more meaningful than mechanically inspecting hundreds of identical room terminals without understanding how they connect to the wider system.

The Most Important Principle: Representative Does Not Mean Random

If sampling is appropriate, it should produce meaningful evidence.

Imagine a ten-storey office building.

Inspecting five indoor units on the ground floor alone would tell the assessor relatively little about:

  • upper-floor conditions
  • different VRF systems
  • tenant areas
  • server rooms
  • roof plant
  • different control zones

A more representative approach could consider equipment from:

  • different floors
  • different system groups
  • different orientations
  • different usage areas
  • different control zones

This produces a much stronger understanding of the installation.

When Should More Equipment Be Examined?

The inspection scope may reasonably broaden if initial observations indicate problems.

Examples might include:

  • inconsistent maintenance
  • damaged equipment
  • significant age differences
  • differing models
  • unusual controls
  • occupant complaints
  • overheating
  • excessive cooling
  • poorly documented alterations
  • missing equipment
  • tenant-installed systems
  • discrepancies between drawings and reality

The assessor should follow the evidence.

Sampling should improve efficiency without reducing confidence in the conclusions.

Why Previous TM44 Reports Are Valuable

If the building has previously been inspected, the old report can be extremely useful.

It may show:

  • previous system configuration
  • cooling capacities
  • plant descriptions
  • recommendations
  • earlier control arrangements
  • equipment that has subsequently been replaced

However, the previous report should not automatically be assumed to represent the current building.

Five years is a long period in commercial property.

During that time:

  • tenants change
  • fit-outs happen
  • splits are added
  • chillers are replaced
  • areas are converted
  • controls are upgraded
  • equipment is decommissioned

The current inspection must reflect the current installation.

You can learn more about the document itself on our TM44 report page.

What Should Building Owners Do Before the Assessor Arrives?

A small amount of preparation can prevent significant delays.

Before the inspection:

  • confirm roof access
  • locate plant-room keys
  • tell tenants about access requirements
  • obtain the asset list
  • locate the previous TM44 report
  • gather maintenance information
  • identify main controls
  • notify the assessor about server rooms
  • confirm AHU and ventilation plant
  • identify recently installed systems
  • mention decommissioned equipment
  • arrange any required escort

The aim is not to prepare the building to “pass”.

TM44 is not a conventional pass/fail inspection.

The goal is to ensure the assessor can obtain reliable information about the installation.

So, Does Every AC Unit Need to Be Inspected?

The most accurate answer is:

A TM44 assessor needs to understand and appropriately assess the relevant air-conditioning installation, but that does not necessarily mean every repeated indoor unit must receive an identical individual inspection.

For small or diverse systems, individual examination may be extensive.

For large installations containing groups of genuinely similar equipment, representative sampling may form part of an appropriate inspection approach.

What matters is that the inspection reflects the actual systems present and provides sufficient evidence for a competent assessment.

System grouping should be based on meaningful similarities.

Sampling should be representative.

Important equipment should not simply disappear from consideration.

And where systems differ materially, the assessor needs to investigate those differences.

That is why a professional TM44 inspection begins with understanding the building rather than merely counting air-conditioning units.

Need Help Determining Your TM44 Inspection Scope?

If you have been told your building has 20, 50, 100 or even several hundred AC units, do not assume that number alone determines the inspection cost or survey time.

Send us whatever information you have.

Useful documents include:

  • AC asset register
  • previous TM44 report
  • equipment schedule
  • photographs
  • make and model information
  • approximate cooling capacity
  • details of AHUs or ventilation plant

Even if your records are incomplete, we can review the available information and help establish the likely inspection scope.

TM44.uk provides TM44 air-conditioning inspections for commercial properties across the UK, from smaller offices and retail premises to hotels, industrial sites, large corporate buildings and multi-site portfolios.

If you are unsure whether your systems require an inspection, review the TM44 inspection requirements or request a TM44 quotation and provide as much equipment information as you currently have.

The important thing is not whether you know every model number before contacting us.

It is making sure the complete air-conditioning installation is understood, properly scoped and assessed by an appropriately qualified professional.

TM44 INSPECTION GUIDANCE

Frequently Asked Questions About TM44 Sampling & AC Unit Inspections

If your building has multiple air-conditioning units, VRF/VRV systems, fan coil units, chillers or AHUs, these answers explain how the inspection scope is normally approached.

1. Does a TM44 assessor have to inspect every air-conditioning unit? +

Not necessarily every repeated indoor unit to exactly the same level of detail. The assessor must understand and appropriately assess the relevant air-conditioning systems within the building. Where large groups of genuinely similar equipment exist, representative sampling may be appropriate. However, the overall installation still needs to be identified and properly represented within the assessment.

2. What does sampling mean during a TM44 inspection? +

Sampling means examining a representative selection of similar equipment instead of carrying out an identical detailed inspection of every repetitive component. The sample should reflect the different system groups, locations, operating conditions and controls present within the building. Sampling should not be used simply to ignore equipment or reduce the quality of the assessment.

3. Can VRF or VRV indoor units be grouped together for TM44? +

Potentially, yes. A building may contain dozens of indoor cassettes connected to a much smaller number of VRF or VRV outdoor systems. Where the indoor units are comparable in type, age, controls, condition and operation, representative inspection may be appropriate. The assessor still needs to understand which indoor units relate to each outdoor system and whether different zones require separate consideration.

4. Are independent split systems treated differently from VRF systems? +

They can be. A property with multiple independent split systems may contain equipment of different ages, capacities, manufacturers, operating hours and control arrangements. In that situation, one unit may not adequately represent all the others. A more detailed individual review may therefore be required than for a highly uniform VRF installation.

5. Are fan coil units, chillers and AHUs included in a TM44 inspection? +

They may form part of the relevant inspection scope where they are associated with the building's air-conditioning and cooling arrangement. Large commercial buildings can include chillers, fan coil units, AHUs, pumps, controls, ventilation plant and supplementary split systems. The assessor needs to understand how these components work together rather than looking only at visible room air-conditioning units.

6. What happens if some AC units cannot be accessed? +

It depends on the importance of the inaccessible equipment and the amount of other evidence available. One inaccessible unit within a large group of identical equipment may be less significant than being unable to access the main rooftop plant, chillers or outdoor VRF systems. Where important evidence cannot be obtained, additional information or a return visit may be necessary.

7. Do I need an air-conditioning asset register before booking a TM44 inspection? +

An asset register is extremely helpful but is not always essential. A good register can show equipment locations, manufacturers, models, cooling capacities and system relationships. If no asset register exists, the assessor may need additional time on site to identify equipment and establish how the systems are configured.

8. Does the number of AC units affect the TM44 inspection cost? +

Yes, but unit count is only one factor. Pricing can also depend on the number of independent systems, total cooling capacity, property size, system complexity, chillers, AHUs, controls, access requirements and the quality of available documentation. Fifty similar indoor units on a well-documented VRF system may be easier to assess than twenty unrelated systems installed at different times.

9. Can a TM44 assessor increase the sample during the inspection? +

Yes. If the initial sample shows inconsistent condition, different controls, maintenance problems, occupant complaints, unexplained faults or significant variation between units, the assessor may need to inspect additional equipment. Representative sampling should follow the evidence found on site rather than being treated as a fixed shortcut.

10. What should I send TM44.uk before requesting a quotation? +

Ideally provide the full property address, approximate number of indoor and outdoor units, an asset register if available, make and model information, cooling capacities, previous TM44 reports, details of chillers or AHUs, number of floors and any known access restrictions. Photographs of outdoor units and equipment data plates can also be useful where formal records are unavailable.

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