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Category: News
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New guide aims to prevent ‘accident waiting to happen’
AIRAH’s Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Special Technical Group has released a free best practice guideline for the industry. Freely available to download from the AIRAH website, the guide highlights the fire risks associated with commercial kitchen exhaust systems and provides strategies for minimising these risks. Technical editor Vince Aherne, F.AIRAH, says that the specialist guide is […]
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CSIRO predicts more climate extremes
CSIRO has released its seventh biennial State of the Climate report, projecting that in coming decades Australians are likely to experience more heat and fewer cold extremes, as well as more time in drought, more dangerous fire days, and a longer fire season for large areas. The report draws on Australian and international climate research […]
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Sound advice on building tuning
A.G. Coombs has published an advisory note on the advantages of building tuning, and how to implement it effectively. The publication outlines why effective building tuning is important, as well as how to address instability within a control system and its causes, and some of the common pitfalls in tuning strategies. According to A.G. Coombs, […]
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Queensland fridgie wins national apprentice award
Air conditioning and refrigeration apprentice Jennah Halley has taken out the Apprentice of the Year award at the Australian Training Awards. The nation’s best apprentices, students, training providers, teachers and businesses were recognised for their hard work and dedication at the annual Australian Training Awards presentation, held in Adelaide at the Adelaide Convention Centre on […]
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Survey shows rising salaries in Australian HVAC&R
AIRAH has released the results of its 2022 salary survey, and they show that salaries are on the rise across the Australian HVAC&R industry. The survey provides a snapshot of employment, salaries and expectations across the sector. The 2022 survey also offers a comparison to the original AIRAH salary survey conducted in 2019 – before […]
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Winners announced at the 2022 AIRAH Awards
AIRAH has announced the winners of the AIRAH Awards 2022 at a gala dinner on November 24 at Luna Park in Sydney. Almost 200 industry leaders gathered on the night to celebrate the top people, projects and products of Australia’s HVAC&R sector. AIRAH says it has been working for many years to raise the profile […]
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Manufacturing breakthrough for thermoelectrics
University of Notre Dame researchers have developed a new manufacturing process that allows thermoelectric devices to be produced faster and at lower cost. The innovative process uses intense pulsed light to sinter thermoelectric material in less than a second, while conventional sintering in thermal ovens can take hours. This method of turning nanoparticle inks into flexible […]
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Occupational licensing due for an overhaul?
Overhauling occupational licensing in Australia and letting homeowners, renters and social-housing tenants move more easily for work could deliver tens of billions of dollars in productivity gains. That is the claim of a submission to the federal government’s employment white paper, developed by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). In the submission, CEDA […]
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US tightens supply chain emissions reporting
The US Government is tightening its emissions reporting requirements, with its proposed Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule expanding to include Scope 3 emissions. The new rule requires major federal government contractors to report their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, in a bid to protect the US Government’s supply chains from climate-related financial […]
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Designers tackle challenge of ‘true zero’ homes
Omnia House, by Elizabeth Wheeler of Future Focus Buildings and Tamar Boyd of Blue Lotus Energy Rating, has taken out the National Award for the Design Matters National (DMN) True Zero Carbon Challenge 2022. The DMN True Zero Carbon Challenge is an annual home design competition focused on net zero goals. A building designer and […]
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Results of major RAC testing project revealed
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has published the complete results of its refrigeration and air conditioning bench-testing project. It clearly demonstrates that preventative maintenance minimises technology failure, reduces refrigerant leaks, and increases the energy efficiency of properly installed equipment. The project is the next stage of a much larger […]
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Sunshine Coast considers urban forests for cooling
A study is under way to investigate the “hot spots” of the Sunshine Coast and explore how urban forests can minimise heat risks. The Cool Urban Forests project is being delivered through the University of the Sunshine Coast and Sunshine Coast Council’s Regional Partnership Agreement. Project lead Dr Silvia Tavares, a UniSC Senior Lecturer in […]
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New path for PV-powered cooling
An Australian-Indian group of researchers is exploring the combined use of thermoelectric modules (TEMs) and rooftop photovoltaics (PV) in HVAC for buildings. Using air as the thermal fluid for the rooftop PV, the scientists designed a system that uses a primary TEM wall to deliver room air conditioning. Traditionally, TEMs have not been used in […]
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Buildings and construction failing net zero challenge
The 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction has been released at COP27, containing alarming news for the sector. Overall, it indicates that after a temporary drop in emissions during the pandemic, emissions have hit an all-time high. This has been driven by increases in construction that have wiped out improvements in energy efficiency. […]
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Dodgy short courses are no more, says ARC
The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) says it has put the kibosh on dodgy RTOs that issue spurious qualifications. According to the ARC, tell-tale signs of inadequacy for these so-called qualifications are course length – typically two days when a minimum of 360 hours has been deemed necessary – and inappropriate reliance on recognition of prior […]
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Women in cooling survey reveals global challenges
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has published a new report surveying 810 women worldwide working in the HVAC&R sector, to better understand their careers, challenges, motivation, and opportunities. According to the report, more than 15 million people are employed worldwide in the HVAC&R industry, with the under-representation of women evidenced by the fact that […]
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Global award to recognise lower GWP innovation
Entries are open for the ASHRAE and OzonAction of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 2022 Lower GWP Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Innovation Award. According to ASHRAE, the award promotes innovative design, research, and practice. It recognises people who have developed or implemented innovative technological concepts applied in developing countries to minimise global warming potential (GWP) through […]
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HVAC exhaust can boost rooftop crops
Researchers have found that planting vegetables crops near vents exhausting carbon dioxide-rich air can produce up to four times more growth. The farming system, known as BIG GRO, takes a sustainable waste resource that exists in excess in cities – human respiration – and applies it to farming. Conducted on the roof of the […]
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Building industry ready to lead decarbonisation efforts
A coalition of 25 major building industry organisations has issued a statement at COP27 pledging to assume a leadership role in decarbonisation efforts in the built environment. The statement, the Building Industry Steps Up to Address Climate Change, is addressed to government representatives that are parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes […]
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Unprecedented weather for Australia and world
As parts of Australia had their wettest spring on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the Earth has just experienced its warmest eight-year period on record. Through mid-October, parts of Australia were experiencing unprecedented precipitation. On October 6, Sydney had received about 2,213mm of rainfall for the year, surpassing the previous record of 2,194mm […]