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Category: News
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State-of-the-art refrigeration training pods on the way
GOTAFE is partnering with Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI) and HVAC&R industry bodies in an innovative new training project for RAC trades. Last year the Hon. Gayle Tierney, Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education granted $2,000,000 toward the project that will be provided by the Workplace Training and Innovation Fund (WTIF). One of the […]
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No changes to hydrocarbon rules says government
Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Dr Anthony Lynham, has responded to the parliamentary petition to “approve the use of hydrocarbon refrigerants and appliances in Queensland” tabled by One Nation member for Mirani, Stephen Andrew. The petition decried the “heavy-handed and completely unnecessary” rules surrounding hydrocarbon refrigerants in Queensland, and asked the government […]
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Global Cooling Prize prototypes now online
The Global Cooling Prize finalists’ prototypes have been installed for performance testing at the field test site in Bahadurgarh, India. The Global Cooling Prize is an innovation competition designed to spur development of a radically more energy-efficient cooling technology. Eight finalists were selected late last year, based upon their potential to have at least five times less climate […]
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Nano-thermometers a potential game changer
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US has launched a new project to design and build a fleet of tiny ultra-sensitive thermometers. The project is called Thermal Magnetic Imaging and Control (Thermal MagIC), and if it succeeds it will be the first system to make real-time measurements of temperature on the microscopic […]
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Russian Federation ratifies Kigali Amendment
As part of the global effort to reduce the use of HFCs, the Russian Federation has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, becoming the 105th country to do so. “According to the scientific community, if member states deliver on their obligations regarding substances that deplete the ozone layer, by mid-century the ozone layer […]
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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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Refrigerant report reveals industry changes
German manufacturer Bitzer has released the Refrigerant Report 21, and it provides an in-depth view on commercial and development refrigerants. The company published the first refrigerant report in 1992, and has since become known for its unbiased and innovative views. The report lists the latest development in refrigerants, which ones are no longer viable, and […]
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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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Ducted vent solution to prevent heat leakage
Australian inventor Dean McGurgan, Affil.AIRAH, has developed a ducted ceiling vent that he claims can save on all forms of household heating loss from all types of ducted air conditioning systems – without the need for wires, batteries or apps. Pending a licensing deal, McGurgan calls the as-yet unnamed product an “anti-gravity ducted ceiling vent”. […]
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Property Council of Australia names its six developments of the year
The Property Council of Australia has unveiled its leading six developments from across the country as part of its 2020 Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards program. “While 2020 has been a challenging year, celebrating Australia’s finest projects and the people who create them serves as a powerful reminder,” says the […]
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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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Free work health and safety resources online
To mark National Safe Work Month in October, Safe Work Australia (SWA) has published new work health and safety (WHS) resources on its website. The National Safe Work Month theme is “Work Health and Safety through COVID-19”. It highlights the WHS challenges, as well as the positive outcomes brought on by the pandemic and the […]
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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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IIR gives thumbs-up to EU F-gas regulation
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) says that the EU’s F-gas Regulation – Europe’s equivalent of Australia’s HFC phase-down – has been a major success, and the next step must be to consider the energy efficiency of buildings and equipment. As part of its consultation process and feedback to the EU, the IIR consulted its […]
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UniSA and Glaciem claim engineering award
The University of South Australia and Glaciem Cooling Technologies have been announced as South Australia’s Engineering Excellence Award winner and the Sir William Hudson Award finalist for their work on The Bend Motorsport Park. The Bend Motorsport Park has now won several awards, including the 2018 AIRAH Award for Excellence in Refrigeration. The Bend was developed and […]
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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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Microsoft’s underwater data centre resurfaces
In 2018, Microsoft’s Project Natick team stored the first data centre approximately 35m underwater near the Orkney Islands in Scotland. After monitoring the server for two years, the team recently retrieved the data centre. The concept of storing data centres under water was first conceived by Microsoft during ThinkWeek in 2014. According to this article, […]
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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 […]