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Category: News
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Cold Tube: Chilled panels beat the heat
A team of researchers has created a new way to cool down without using air conditioning. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Princeton University, the University of California, Berkeley and the Singapore-ETH Centre claim that the creation known as Cold Tube is a better alternative to using air conditioning. The Cold Tube is a […]
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ARBS partners with NABERS on scholarships
The ARBS Education and Research Foundation has partnered with NABERS to provide scholarships to HVAC&R sole traders studying to become accredited energy and water assessors. “The ARBS Education and Research Foundation is committed to supporting further education of people employed in the HVAC industry, along with practical research into contemporary industry issues,” says ARBS Foundation […]
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ASHRAE updates Building Readiness Guide
The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has updated its guidance on building readiness to help mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The Building Readiness Guide focuses on the operation of HVAC systems to help reduce the potential health risks when buildings reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Building Readiness Guide includes additional information and clarifications so that […]
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Clean energy in Alice Springs
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $2.17 million in funding to support the Alice Springs Future Grid Project. The two-year project will focus on addressing barriers to further renewable energy penetration in the local electricity network. Alice Springs has approximately 10 per cent renewable energy generation, and faces a unique challenge in overcoming […]
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COVID-19 forcing a rethink on ventilation
Over the past few weeks, as the world registers more outbreaks of COVID-19, the attention on aerosol transmission of the virus has intensified. Researchers at the University of Florida have now made an important breakthrough. The team isolated viable virus from aerosols collected in a hospital room dedicated to two patients with COVID-19. The air […]
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Share how you work and you could win
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is conducting an online survey of HVAC technicians and contractors who service office buildings around Australia. The survey will help UOW support the Australian government in understanding the industry and shape future policies and programs. “Well-maintained HVAC systems function better, use less energy, emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions and boost […]
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ARBS moves to 2022
ARBS has been postponed, shifting to 2022. Originally planned for May 19–21, 2020, the exhibition was previously rescheduled to February, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ARBS 2022 will now be held from April 27–29, 2022, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. With Melbourne currently in stage-four lockdown, the COVID-19 situation remains largely unclear. […]
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ARBS to fund diploma in sustainable design
The ARBS Education and Research Foundation has announced a grant of $39,000 to the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) to assist in the development of a Professional Diploma in Energy-Efficient Sustainable HVAC. The diploma will consist of four key units of competence: Compliance with energy and sustainable codes of practice Energy […]
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TechEmerge expands to Latin America
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is expanding its program TechEmerge to Latin America. The TechEmerge Sustainable Cooling program is offering the innovators working on sustainable cooling technologies, products and services an opportunity to enter the growing market of Latin America. The program will match the innovators with companies and municipalities to conduct pilot projects and […]
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COVID-19 and gender equality in lockdown
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and the Australian Gender Equality Council (AGEC) have partnered with the University of Queensland to understand how COVID-19 is impacting men’s and women’s careers. The research project, which takes the form of an online survey, aims to explore how people’s home and work lives have been altered during the […]
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One Nation takes up hydrocarbon cause
HVAC&R may become a vote-decider in the upcoming Queensland election, as the One Nation party supports changes to regulations around hydrocarbons in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Last week the member for Mirani, Stephen Andrew, posted a question for notice to the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Dr Anthony Lynham. “With reference to […]
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Are your products up to the WaterMark?
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the WaterMark Certification Scheme. In Australia most plumbing and drainage products must be WaterMark certified. But, what does this mean? The WaterMark Certification Scheme is a mandatory national scheme for plumbing and drainage products to ensure they are fit for […]
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Getzner buys stake in Vibration Solutions
Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH has acquired a stake in Australian distribution partner Vibration Solutions Pty Ltd. Getzner manufactures polyurethane materials for applications in the railway, construction, HVAC and industry sectors. The materials are used for the insulation and isolation of vibrations and structure-borne noise. With this investment in the Melbourne-based firm, Getzner is strengthening its position […]
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Industrial buildings risk becoming ‘stranded assets’
A holistic sustainable design approach helps future-proof industrial buildings. Without it, such structures, often costing billions to construct, risk being left behind as “stranded assets”. So say the Australian and New Zealand Green Building Councils in a new report, Green Star in focus: The case for sustainable industrial buildings. The report warns of the risk […]
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Unlocking the Mpemba Effect
A new research study at Simon Fraser University in Canada may lead the way to exploiting the mysterious Mpemba Effect – the process by which hot water freezes faster than cold water. The Mpemba Effect is named after Tanzanian school student Erasto Bartholomeo Mpemba who, legend has it, was making ice-cream in a food tech […]
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Vale to Harrison’s grandson
The heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry owes much to James Harrison (1816–1893). He emigrated to Australia from Scotland in 1837 and later developed the first successful large-scale ice making machinery sold to industry. He also founded The Geelong Advertiser, was an editor at the The Age and was a member for the town of […]
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HVAC&R cleared to work through new restrictions
For the past week the HVAC&R and wider building industry has been scrambling to assess the impacts that stricter COVID-19 restrictions will have on businesses and employees. On August 2, the Victorian government declared a state of disaster and imposed new Stage 4 lockdown measures. Rules around workplaces, which extend to construction sites, were further […]
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New REHVA guidelines focus on airborne COVID-19
The European Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA) has released an updated guide on how to operate HVAC and other building service systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces. The revised document puts a greater emphasis on the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19. Accordingly, it proposes an infection […]
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COVID-19 treatment facility completed inside 12 weeks
A Melbourne building that formerly served as part of the Peter MacCallum Hospital has been converted into a specialist 84-bed COVID-19 treatment facility inside three months. Completed as part of the Victorian government’s $1.9 billion health funding boost, St Vincent’s on the Park has substantially increased Victoria’s ability to deal with pandemic patients. Head contractor […]
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Improved MOF offers leap forward for cooling
New research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has uncovered a new way to create an improved metal-organic framework (MOF) for adsorption cooling. Adsorption cooling systems depend on a solid adsorbent and a refrigerant, which transform heat into energy for cooling when they interact. This process can be driven by waste heat from an industrial […]