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Author: Mark Vender
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NCC 2022 to be delayed
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has confirmed that the adoption of the next version of the National Construction Code – NCC 2022 – has been pushed back by four months. “Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has presented a variety of significant challenges for the building industry, regulators and consumers, Building Ministers […]
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Australians getting ‘ripped off’ due to poor NCC enforcement
The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is calling on state and territory governments to protect consumers by making urgent changes to the way building compliance is enforced. According to ASBEC, it is an open secret that Australians are being ripped off by poor enforcement of the National Construction Code (NCC). The code, which governs […]
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Doubling down on the Kigali Amendment
A new study led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) shows that transitioning to high-efficiency cooling can double the climate mitigation effects of the HFC phase-down under the Kigali Amendment. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which entered into force in 2019, aims to phase down the consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), […]
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HVAC&R poised to play key role in Australia’s recovery
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has applauded this year’s strong Federal Budget focused on economic recovery, and says the HVAC&R industry will play a vital role in making the government’s programs pay off. “As our Treasurer Josh Frydenberg noted, jobs are key,” says AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH, “especially in […]
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New RAC training package gets final approval
The updated UEE Electrotechnology Training Package, which includes many refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) qualifications, has now been endorsed by the skills ministers. Key components of the updated package relate to changes to UEE32220 Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration to ensure it includes the latest refrigerants, technologies, standards, codes, and work health and […]
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Essential safety measures under scrutiny
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has announced new initiatives to boost the compliance and performance of essential safety measures (ESMs). ESMs include many parts of a building, some directly related to HVAC systems. For example, air-handling systems for smoke control and mechanical ventilation systems that incorporate a cooling tower or hot or warm water system […]
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World waits on airborne COVID-19 research
A team of scientists in the UK are using a new method to determine how long Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can remain viable in the air. The research will help policy-makers better understand the risk of airborne transmission, and inform strategies to prevent the virus from spreading. According to The Guardian, […]
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Update to flexible duct standard
The draft standard AS 4254.1 Ductwork for air-handling systems in buildings, Part 1: Flexible duct is open for comment until November 18. The document provides standardised requirements for the performance testing, manufacture and installation of flexible ducts in order to improve their thermal performance. It is particularly relevant for specifiers, manufacturers, regulatory authorities and installers […]
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Webinar on possible updates to flammable charge limits
“Cool & Safe: Climate-friendly cooling is just one step away” is a free one-hour webinar on September 30 about the proposed update to the international standard for the use of flammable refrigerants in room air conditioners. It is organised by Environmental Action Germany and independent consulting firm HEAT, in cooperation with German development agency GIZ […]
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Australia must catch up, say buildings physics experts
Australia is lagging behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to sealing, thermal performance and control of moisture in our buildings. That was the consensus at AIRAH’s Building Physics Virtual Forum, held on September 17. But the event also highlighted the opportunity to improve by using our local expertise and learning from […]
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Outlook 2020 goes online
AIRAH has announced that the flagship event of its Centenary year, Outlook 2020, will now be held as a virtual event. The International HVAC&R Conference and Awards Gala will be live-streamed from 9am–5.30pm (AEDT) on November 10. This year’s keynotes include Professor Lidia Morawska and Deb Noller. “In my time with AIRAH I can’t recall […]
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Buildings at heart of EU’s ambitious emissions target
In her State of the Union address last week, President of the European Commission Ursual von der Leyen set an ambitious new emissions reduction target of 55 per cent of current emissions by 2030. “Our impact assessment clearly shows that meeting this target would put the EU firmly on track for climate neutrality by 2050 […]
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Water and space heating from solar PV
Energy Smart Water has organised a Toolbox Techtalk about maximising solar PV self-consumption by diverting power to resistive loads for water heating, hydronic and electric in-floor heating. “Join the Smart Energy Lab Live Techtalk this Sunday, September 20 at 4pm AEST (3.30pm ACST/2pm AWST) with the developers of this smart energy device, the AC•THOR Photovoltaic […]
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Short course trainer loses RTO status
Training group Construction Industry Training Australia (CITA) has had its RTO status cancelled for short course advertising and poor recognition of prior learning (RPL) assessments by training industry regulator Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) originally reported CITA to ASQA for advertising unduly brief short courses, and also for concerns regarding […]
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iZone brings smarts to climate control
Australian company iZone is offering advanced air conditioning solutions featuring smart device controls and unique control algorithms that are designed to maximise efficiency and minimise costs. “Thanks to the emergence of smart technology, climate control systems have come a long way, but not all systems are created equal,” says iZone. “Regulating a home’s heating and […]
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Building for a future climate
Global warming is pushing temperatures upwards, but are Australia’s buildings being designed to handle these future conditions? Probably not, according to a report produced by DeltaQ for the COAG Energy Council. The report aims to quantify the impacts of climate change on the built environment, and recommend how building regulations should adapt. “The key thing […]
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Swyft Energy makes strides with vWork
Swyft Energy, a leader in domestic heating installations in Ireland, has used vWork software help to double its sales without doubling its operational team. As in many countries, the heating installation market in Ireland has many small installers due to low barriers to entry. An inhibitor to growth in this competitive market, however, is the […]
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Workers ‘fly the flag’ to address suicide crisis
Thousands of construction workers across Australia are flying flags on major projects today to highlight the suicide crisis facing the industry, and to promote efforts to save lives by looking out for workmates. According to MATES in Construction, each year 190 Australian construction workers take their lives – six times the number killed by workplace […]
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Reducing vibrations in HVAC systems
Vibration isolation specialist Getzner is hosting a free technical webinar on the topic of structure-borne noise and vibrations in the HVAC sector. “Silence is the key for relaxation,” says Getzner. “As you know as an acoustic expert this can be quite hard to accomplish when installing HVAC systems in the basement or on the roof. […]
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IAQ legend to speak at AIRAH forum
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has announced world-renowned indoor air quality (IAQ) expert Max Sherman as the keynote for its Building Physics Virtual Forum slated for September 17. Sherman’s presentation, titled “Build tight and ventilate right. It’ll be OK”, will look at some of the challenges faced by airtight high-performance […]