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Category: Features
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Opinion: Improve commissioning by improving our technicians
Air-Con-Tech working director William Lane, F. AIRAH, believes the importance of commissioning technicians should be reflected in their education, legal responsibilities, and salary. Our industry has major concerns about energy sustainability and ensuring that HVAC&R systems are designed to achieve the best performances with the minimum amount of energy input. For this to happen, we […]
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Opinion: Time for a training levy
Dr Michael Riese, M.AIRAH, is Business Development Manager – Defence & Research at Cold Logic. He shares his views on the need for an HVAC&R training levy. Last week, AIRAH’s South Australian division crowned the new apprentice of the year in HVAC&R. The standard of the eight candidates put forward by TAFE SA was excellent, […]
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Gender pay gap grows in construction
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) has released its findings from 4,943 reports submitted for 2019–20. The gender pay gap in the construction industry has risen by 0.1 per cent in the last year, and now has the second-highest rated full-time pay gap at 26.1 per cent. In a Build Australia article, National Chair of […]
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Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine faces cold-chain challenges
The new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that is claimed to be 95 per cent effective will face a major hurdle in global distribution and storage. The drug, currently pending emergency federal approval in the US, will need to be refrigerated at -70 to -80°C. These cold storage requirements pose an enormous logistical challenge given that most […]
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Australia’s top HVAC retrofits and upgrades
The finalists of the 2020 AIRAH Awards have been announced. HVAC&R News continues its weekly finalist coverage with this spotlight on the contenders in the Best HVAC retrofit or upgrade category. The award recognises excellence in the retrofit or upgrade of a HVAC system, and can address the complete delivery of a project. This can […]
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Finalists named for AIRAH Awards 2020
The finalists of the 2020 AIRAH Awards have been announced. The annual awards show organised by the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) will be held as a virtual event on November 10. The finalists were selected following an independent judging process. Nominations submitted by the Australian HVAC&R community were judged and […]
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2021 AHR Expo moves to March
The 2021 AHR Expo, a major Chicago-based HVAC&R event, has been postponed to March 15–17, 2021, due to the coronavirus. The show was originally planned to be held at the McCormick Place from January 25–27, 2021. The AHR Expo Show Management says the postponement reflects a survey it conducted showing that nearly 80 per cent […]
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UK study mulls heat pumps for net-zero buildings
A feasibility study conducted by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) is re-evaluating building materials and exploring heat pumps as realistic design pathways to meet the UK’s decarbonisation targets. The findings are intended to improve collective understanding of the real-world implications for achieving new net zero buildings. The “Building the case for net zero” report […]
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Using body heat to warm buildings
Whether inside a crowded train or packed exhibition hall, most of us have experienced stuffiness due to body heat radiated from the people around us. The excess body heat released into the atmosphere can actually be used to warm buildings and homes. According to a BBC article, numerous companies are already harnessing this organic warmth. […]
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Out with the mould
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has published an article on CSIROscope about the dangers of mould and how to prevent it. Mould causes health issues and can damage buildings. A fungal growth that loves moisture, it can generally be found in poorly ventilated areas of the house where damp has a chance […]
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Passivhaus presentation on podcast
AIRAH has released a new episode of the podcast AIRAH on Air, which features a presentation from Clare Parry, M.AIRAH, at the Institute’s Building Physics Forum in 2019. Parry, from Grün Consulting, presented a detailed case study of Australia’s first scale Passivhaus building: Gillies Hall at Monash University’s Peninsula Campus in Frankston, Melbourne. Gillies Hall […]
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1.02bn people face severe lack of cooling
An analysis of 54 countries shows that 1.02bn people among the rural and urban poor still lack access to cooling, which threatens their immediate health and safety, and intensifies the regions’ economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new report from Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) – Chilling Prospects: Tracking Sustainable Cooling for […]
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UNIDO’s refrigeration guidelines for emissions reduction
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has launched a new guidance document to support domestic and commercial refrigeration manufacturers seeking to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funded by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) and supported by International Copper Association (ICA), the study is intended to help manufacturers understand net benefits […]
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Starting up the energy efficiency jobs machine
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC), and the Property Council of Australia (PCA), have released a joint statement that captures the key insight from the National Summit: Energy Efficiency and Australia’s Economic Recovery. The Summit was held on July 1, organised by the parties mentioned. It was […]
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‘Watching brief’ on airborne COVID-19
The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged growing concerns surrounding the airborne transmission of the coronavirus, following the publication of an open letter addressed to the Geneva-based agency, but says more evidence is still required. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the organisation has advised that the virus is primarily spread through large respiratory droplets […]
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The cold reality of energy poverty
The average Australian would probably not describe theirs as a cold country. However, working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light how many Australians are struggling with their heating and energy bills. An article on the Sydney Morning Herald website states that on average, 42 people in New South Wales end up […]
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COVID-19 likely to be airborne, claim 239 experts
More than 200 scientists from over 30 countries have signed an open letter urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to take the role of airborne spread of COVID-19 more seriously. Published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, the letter titled “It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19” challenges the view held by the […]
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Opinion: Mario Balen on national licensing
HyChill General Manager Mario Balen, Affil.AIRAH, shares his views on national HVAC&R licensing in Australia. The HVAC&R trade is widely regarded to be under-recognised, poorly regulated and, on average, inadequately trained. Attempts have been made for many years to address some, if not all, of those shortcomings, with little success so far. The end result […]
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ACIF issues coronavirus recovery proposal
The Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) has issued a document proposing a number of key recommendations on guiding the construction industry out of the coronavirus disruption period. In the document entitled Construction’s Bridge to Recovery, the ACIF is calling on the government to assist with the economic recovery of the construction business through a list […]
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AMCA advice on COVID-19 and HVAC
The Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors’ Association (AMCA) has released a position statement on the role of HVAC systems in mitigating the risks of airborne transmission of COVID-19. In the statement, the AMCA recognises that ventilation and air filtration provided by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC) can reduce the airborne concentration of COVID-19 […]