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Category: News
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Vale Jack Laracy
Distinguished AIRAH life member Jack Laracy passed away peacefully on July 11 in Queensland, his home state. “It is with much sadness that we share the news of the passing of an AIRAH legend, Jack Laracy,” says AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH. “Jack was a leading educator with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and impacted […]
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New beginning for AMCA Australia
AMCA has officially switched from its previous state-based structure to operate as a single national industry association under the name AMCA Australia. The move comes following a comprehensive, three-year review of all association activities, upon which the organisation decided the time was right for AMCA state-based entities to formally join forces. “Over recent years, members […]
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Bitzer appoints Christian Wehrle as new CEO
Bitzer has appointed Christian Wehrle as CEO, with immediate effect. Wehrle will also chair the executive board. The position has remained vacant since former Bitzer CEO and leader Peter Schaufler died in 2015. His wife and chair of the supervisory board, Christiane Schaufler-Münch, has now realigned the board structure to ensure stability in the planned […]
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The biggest challenge for smart buildings?
While smart building technology develops offers greater access to information, it also poses a growing challenge: how to organise the data. Buildings contain a vast range of hardware and software, much of it proprietary. Ideally, smart building technology allows data from all of these systems to be captured and analysed to afford better management. Sometimes […]
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Seeley International joins RACE for 2030
Seeley International has become the first air conditioning manufacturer to join a new collaborative research centre (CRC) focused on clean energy – RACE for 2030. The company formalised a partnership with other industry, research and technology partners to incorporate innovative air conditioning solutions into projects aimed at boosting energy productivity and demand flexibility, cutting energy […]
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High school students get a taste of HVAC&R
A recent Mathematics and Trade Workshop run by the NSW Department of Education, RACCA and Daikin introduced high school students in Sydney to the refrigeration and air conditioning trades. Forty students from Year 9, 10 and 11 at James Busby High School, Liverpool Boys High School, Ashcroft Boys High School and Miller Technology High School […]
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New phase-changing composites found to regulate temperatures
A study by researchers at Texas A&M University has discovered that 3D printable phase-change material (PCM) composites can regulate building temperatures. The composites can be added to building materials such as paint or incorporated as decorative accents, making it a cost-effective manufacturing process. Associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the […]
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Blueprint for Australasian digital twin adoption released
Stewarded by the Smart Cities Council (SCC), a draft blueprint to drive adoption of digital twin activity in the Australian and New Zealand built environments has been released. Digital Twins, For All – the Australia and New Zealand digital twin blueprint – was released recently at a gathering of government and industry leaders in Wellington, […]
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Standards Australia calls for NEXTgen nominees
Standards Australia has opened a new round of the NEXTgen professional development program, aimed at industry experts who are interesting in learning about standards and their benefits. “Standards Australia prides itself on bringing together key parties, stakeholders, and technical advisors to collaborate on the development and creation of standards which provide value to Australia, its […]
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New report exposes scale of illegal HFC trade
A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has exposed the alarming extent to which HFC refrigerants are illegally bought and sold in Europe. It suggests that the illegal trade represents as much as 30 per cent of the legal trade – or as much as 30 million tonnes of CO2e. Titled Europe’s Most […]
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Working together to improve energy performance
A new report has found that if Australia and Germany worked together, they could increase the improvement rate of energy performance in existing buildings. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) commissioned the report from the Energy Efficiency Council, German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and adelphi. It is titled Further, faster, together: […]
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Trout farm to harness waste heat from data centre
Norse data centre firm Green Mountain has entered into an agreement with Hima Seafood to use data centre waste heat to warm a land-based trout farm in Rjukan, Norway. Waste heat from the DC2-Telemark data centre will be used at what reportedly will be the world’s largest land-based trout farm. When fully operational in 2023, […]
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Airmaster grows fire protection business
Airmaster has entered into an agreement to acquire fire protection services company Celsius Fire and its Queensland operations Fire2U. The move strengthens Airmaster’s fire services capability, after its recent acquisition of Melbourne-based Specialised Fire Protection. Airmaster says the latest acquisition will further grow its suite of in-house knowledge and expertise in fire services. Celsius Fire […]
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Women’s Leadership scholarships
Women & Leadership Australia is offering partial scholarships from $1,000–5,000 for a variety of its leadership courses. Women working in the construction and engineering sector are encouraged to apply by Friday, September 10, 2021. Eligible courses include: Early career managersThe Leading Edge course is delivered part-time over four months, and is designed to enable the […]
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AIRAH backs further action on high-GWP refrigerants
AIRAH has backed a federal government proposal to ban the import and manufacture of small air conditioners with high-GWP refrigerants – and called for similar actions in other classes of equipment. The ban on small air conditioners with high-GWP refrigerants would complete the transition – already well under way – from R410A to R32 and […]
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Mitsubishi Electric CEO steps down due to improper testing
In a press conference on July 2, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation President and CEO Takeshi Sugiyama announced his intention to step down from his role. The announcement came in response to the findings from an internal investigation that revealed evidence of a long history of improper testing of railway air conditioning equipment and air compressors manufactured […]
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Is this the HVAC system of the future?
A research collaboration between architecture firm BVN and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has created a 3D-printed air-diffusion system that has the potential to slash embodied carbon and installation costs – and disrupt the status quo of mechanical services. The Systems Reef 2 (SR2) is an alternative to traditional ductwork that is 3D printed […]
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Reducing the urban heat island effect
A new study by researchers at the Ohio State University has uncovered how to measure the effects shade can have on temperatures in urban environments. Urban areas are often affected by the “urban heat island effect”, where surfaces such as buildings and carparks can absorb and reflect heat – which in turn increases the overall […]
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Roll-out of professional registration begins in NSW and Victoria
July 1, 2021, marks a major step in the national professional registration era, with the NSW and Victorian governments beginning to phase in registration schemes for engineers working in these states. New South Wales has introduced the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation. Although this applies only to multi-storey (and mixed use) residential buildings initially, the […]
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Apprentices take centrestage in SA
South Australia’s top refrigeration and air conditioning apprentices have been recognised at the annual AIRAH Apprentice Awards. This year’s event, held at the Adelaide Pavilion, saw industry members and guests gather to celebrate the achievements of apprentices in the HVAC&R industry. “It was a great success and honoured some really talented young men in the […]