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Category: News
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CO2 training shows an industry hungry for upskilling
Recent CO2 transcritical training carried out by CA Group with City Facilities Management (City FM) refrigeration mechanics at retail sites around the country has proved a success – and highlighted an appetite for upskilling in the trade. The training sessions took place at supermarkets supported by City FM in Victoria and South Australia, making use […]
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Applications open for small business ventilation program
The Victorian government is supporting public-facing small businesses to improve ventilation in areas accessible to customers, and thus reduce the spread of COVID-19. Applications are now open for the Small Business Ventilation Program, which provides $500 rebates and matched grants of up to $5,000 to support eligible small businesses’ investment in equipment, works and services […]
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Signs of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Sydney CBD
NSW Health is advising those who have been in the Sydney CBD area in the past 10 days to be on the lookout for symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, and advising building owners to check their cooling towers. Five people who have developed the disease spent time in the area in the past three weeks. All […]
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Queensland calls for more trades to move to “paradise”
A multi-million dollar promotional blitz is under way in three states in an effort to lure more trades to Queensland to help with flood recovery efforts. The Tradies in Paradise campaign is being promoted across a range of targeted advertising platforms as well as to spectators at AFL games in South Australia, Western Australia and […]
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Deadline for new training package extended to 2023
The adoption deadline for the new electrotechnology training package UEE11, which includes various refrigeration and air conditioning qualifications, has been extended from October 5, 2022 until January 31, 2023. Within the HVAC&R industry, there is particular interest in the roll-out of the new Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration qualification UEE32220. Importantly, it includes […]
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New method for dissipating heat in electronic devices
A research team from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and University of California (UC) Berkeley has published a paper that explores a new cooling method for electronic devices. Electronic devices often generate high temperates, and these need to be cooled to prevent the device being compromised or damaged. Traditionally, exisiting cooling methods can have […]
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AREA names Coen van de Sande as President
At its recent annual general assembly held in Athens, European contractors’ association AREA unanimously elected the Netherlands’ Coen van de Sande as President, replacing Marco Buoni from Italian Association ATF. Grzegorz Michalski from Poland was named Vice President. ‘’Legislation and standardisation became more and more an EU playing field in the last two decades,” says […]
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AC company fined for unlicensed electrical testing
Following the prosecution of a Perth air conditioning company, the Western Australian government is warning manufacturers that testing of electrical equipment above a certain voltage must only be carried out by licensed electricians. Westbury Holdings, trading as Air Group Australia and CoolBreeze Air Conditioning, was fined $15,000 at Perth Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to […]
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Days of R404A are numbered
High-GWP refrigerants may soon be in short supply and rising in price as stockpiles dwindle, international pressures hit our shores, and the HFC phase-down quotas start to bite. And according to experts at AIRAH’s Refrigeration 2022 conference this week, that means it’s time for contractors to urgently switch away from R404A. When the HFC phase-down […]
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Romilly Madew moves to Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia has announced Romilly Madew AO as its new CEO, following the retirement of Dr Bronwyn Evans in May. Madew was appointed CEO of Infrastructure Australia in early 2019, and before that was CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia for 13 years. In acknowledgment of her contribution to Australia’s sustainable building movement, […]
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Tackling embodied carbon for building services
As Scope 3 emissions emerge as the next big obstacle on the road to net zero, new industry initiatives are looking at the way forward for building services. Until now, businesses have generally focused on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (or operational emissions) when making net zero commitments. Scope 1 covers direct emissions, for […]
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Solar power after dark
A research team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has discovered how to harness “night-time” solar power. The team, from the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, made the breakthrough by using a semi-conductor device called a thermoradiative diode to generate electricity from the emission of infrared light. The results of the study […]
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APCO launches recycled packaging pledge
The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has launched an initiative to drive a greater uptake of recycled content in packaging. The Recycled Materials Pledge challenges major brands across all industries, including HVAC&R, to publicly commit the volumes of specific materials they will transition from virgin materials to recycled materials by 2025. It will play a […]
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NEXTgen program open for applications
Applications are now open to join Standards Australia’s NEXTgen program for 2022–23. The NEXTgen Program selects emerging industry and technical experts and provides them with an opportunity to become involved in the national and international standardisation processes. “Emerging leaders will share knowledge and collaborate, developing a deep understanding of what it takes to shape robust […]
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Engineers Australia introduces construction AoP
Engineers Australia has introduced a new Construction Engineering Area of Practice (AoP). The new AoP will help maintain growth in the construction engineering industry to meet the demands of the nation’s construction sector. Engineers Australia has been working with the Australian Constructors Association (ACA) since 2020 in a collaborative effort to produce the AoP. Engineers […]
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Overcoming the stigma of VET
Vocational education and training (VET) has long been surrounded by negative perceptions. In a recent “What if” paper, VOCEDplus discusses what would happen if we could overcome these negative perceptions. The paper notes that societal perceptions of VET are influenced by a variety of factors, including the terminology surrounding vocational training versus higher education. VET […]
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Aurecon strengthens infrastructure team
Design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon has appointed two new leaders to shape its global infrastructure advisory business. Georgia Gosse joins as Infrastructure Advisory Principal and Queensland Regional Service Group Leader, working across all sectors. Julian Mitton joins as Principal in the firm’s New South Wales Infrastructure Advisory. An infrastructure sustainability and risk-management consultant, Gosse […]
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ARBS 2022 Awards finalists announced
Ahead of ARBS 2022 in Melbourne on August 16–18, the finalists have been revealed for the ARBS 2022 Industry Awards. A panel of industry experts evaluated and selected the finalists based on various criteria such as leadership, sustainability, performance, and origination. The award winners will be announced and honoured at a gala dinner on Wednesday […]
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Top chefs serve up message about cooling
To celebrate World Refrigeration Day on June 26, United Nations Environment Program OzonAction, Chefs4thePlanet, and Global Food Cold Chain Council are partnering to explain cooling’s essential role in protecting human health and the planet. The Cooling Keeps Food Fresh campaign will describe why cooling is necessary for food safety and how it supports nutritious diets […]
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Towards a better performance metric for cooling
Key players behind the Global Cooling Prize have launched a project to establish new performance metrics for air conditioners that will promote the uptake of next-generation technology. The Global Cooling Prize was an innovation competition that offered prizes for developing a room air conditioner with five times less climate impact than a standard model in […]