Mark VenderOur sector in the spotlight: takeaways from HVAC26
At an event that promised to explore the future of our unseen industry, we learnt that HVAC&R is more visible and vital than ever before.
Building services have long been seen – especially by those in the sector – as invisible heroes, maintaining our health and safety unobtrusively, sometimes to the point where the work goes unrecognised. But as the presentations and conversations at AIRAH’s 2026 HVAC Innovation Conference (HVAC26) showed, this is changing.
Following on from the 2024 iteration, this year’s HVAC Innovation Conference once again brought together three of AIRAH’s leading events: the Future of HVAC, Building Physics Forum, and Big Data and Analytics Forum. The event was held March 16–17 at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park.
“The HVAC Innovation Conference is AIRAH’s flagship national event, so it’s fantastic to have it back on the calendar,” says AIRAH Conference and Events Coordinator Julia Bassal.
“Over the two days we had about 200 attendees, with lots of conversation and sharing across the three streams of the conference. The feedback from the audience and the speakers has been extremely positive.”
Central piece of the puzzle
AIRAH President Mikaila Ganado, F.AIRAH, opened proceedings by talking about the huge responsibility of HVAC in modern buildings, not only to ensure the wellbeing and comfort of occupants, but to do so in a way that protects the environment. She noted that although unseen, these systems must be understood, measured and maintained.
The imperative to combine efficiency and safety was underscored by the first keynote speaker. As the recently appointed CEO of the Australian Building Codes Board, Adrian Piani spoke about the 2025 version of the National Construction Code – due to be published on May 1 – as well as the NCC’s future. He laid out what he describes as a five-year journey, which will involve not just simplifying the code, but also greater integration with technology such as AI.
The next keynote speaker, presenting virtually from the US, continued the building codes thread in his presentation “Staying out of trouble – don’t do what we did”. Joe Lstiburek, also known as the godfather of building science, presented in his inimitable style on issues such as airtightness requirements, balanced ventilation, air conditioning and insulation. He pointed out that Australia has the same climate zones as the US and we should learn from their mistakes.
The audience was entertained and edified, looking forward to Joe’s visit to Australia for AIRAH’s IAQ26 conference from August 31–September 4 in Cairns.
Emerging themes
Indoor air quality emerged as a strong theme in the conference, reflected both in the presentations and the interest shown by attendees. Brad Prezant, Affil.AIRAH, spoke about the concept of “equivalent” CO2 as a metric for indoor air quality. Ben Gill, Affil.AIRAH, presented a case study on air decontamination trialled at Echuca Regional Health. And in one of the highlight sessions of the conference, Brett Fairweather, F.AIRAH, and Sonia Holzheimer, M.AIRAH, shared their expert perspectives on the latest version of Australia’s mechanical ventilation standard, AS 1668.2.
The hot topic of data centres was addressed on day two of the conference by keynote speaker Ramon Sa from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. He delved into the CEFC’s recent report, Getting the balance right, and pointed out that due to favourable conditions in Australia, it is inevitable that data centres will be built here. The question is whether this will be done in a way that supports the system or undermines it. Later in the day, Philipp Schluter from Camfil took on the topic from a different angle, focusing on filtration in data centres.
Electrification and grid interactivity were also prominent themes. This included a case study on the Sydney Opera House, presented by Craig Roussac from Buildings Alive; a study of electrifying building heating infrastructure from Kanthasamy Mohan, M.AIRAH; and a session on OT infrastructure for grid interactivity presented by NXT Engineering’s Daniel Porragas, M.AIRAH.
To wrap up proceedings, the Energy Efficiency Council’s Rob McLeod shared the findings from the Commercial Buildings Electrification Roadmap, while previewing work planned for stage two of the project. This will include developing electrification playbooks for common building typologies.
A question of physics
On day one of the conference, the Building Physics Forum ran alongside Future of HVAC.
There was a variety of talks, from thermal bridging to air leakage; new construction to retrofit; premium commercial to outback residential. A feature of the event was how engaged the audience was across the wide range of topics.
“This year had a very interesting balance between research and practice,” says ATTMA’s Sean Maxwell, M.AIRAH. “If you liked to look at graphs and charts, you were not disappointed. But several presentations related principles of building pressure, drainage, water vapour, and thermal dynamics to visible built results. The part of the Building Physics Forum I appreciate the most is the effort to make science relatable to the builder.”
Maxwell says a highlight was the panel discussion on thermal bridging with lightweight steel framing.
“As we see marketing push for more use of steel framing, we can’t forget the basic building science that must be kept in mind. Unlike insulation or even windows, it’s extremely difficult to retrofit better performance to walls; so we’d better get it right in the first place.”
Overall, Maxwell says the event was a great success.
“I’m looking forward to next year’s!”
The bigger picture
Another feature of the conference was the larger conversation about policy related to the built environment and HVAC, with government representatives both on the stage and in the audience. Hannah Bubb, Assistant Director in the Buildings Policy team at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW), presented on the updated Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings. According to Hannah, the Commonwealth government very much recognises the importance of the HVAC&R sector, particularly in today’s world where buildings are required not just to mitigate climate change, but also to adapt to higher temperatures and extreme weather.
Ron Pulido shared an update from NABERS, including major changes in train for NABERS Energy ratings, and analysis on the interplay between energy efficiency and indoor environment in buildings. Alison Scotland from ASBEC outlined her organisation’s strategic priorities going forwards and where HVAC&R bodies like AIRAH will play a key role, and Adam Bertino from Emerald explained the shifting landscape of government HVAC incentives.
As always, the conference covered diverse topics. A panel of experts discussed challenges around selecting refrigerants and looming shortages of some widely used species. And AIRAH’s Executive, Education and Alliance, David King, presented on the skills gaps in HVAC&R and the role of industry in filling these.
Innovation is the name of the conference, and this was reflected throughout. Whether the topic was data centres, commissioning, modern methods of construction, air quality or life-cycle analysis, the presenters shared knowledge from the leading edge of the industry.
“I’m here because I want to see what we’re doing and where the future of HVAC is going, and this is the best one in Australia for it,” said Ken Thomson, F.AIRAH, from Fusion Modulair.
“Once a year I get to catch up and hear from my peers and colleagues across Australia on the interesting work that they’ve done and where we can collectively improve or advocate for as an industry,” says DeltaQ’s Grace Foo, M.AIRAH.
“I return to the ‘daily grind’ challenged with new perspectives to the recommendations we make to our clients, and new ideas towards creating a better world for current and future generations. That is the future of HVAC and innovation.”
Buildings with brains
The Big Data and Analytics Forum ran on day two of the conference.
Major themes included the growing maturity of analytics in driving real-world building performance improvements, and the shift from data collection to actionable insights. The correlation between artificial intelligence, analytics and energy was also explored in detail, with real examples of how to use data for outcomes.
EC Controls’ Evren Korular, M.AIRAH, says the Forum was a fantastic event for HVAC professionals to network and learn from.
“Data and analytics have matured to deliver tangible results,” he says.
“Achieving net‑zero and broader sustainability goals will require reliable energy systems and enabling technologies. We must present a clear adoption pathway – something the Forum demonstrated with real‑world examples.”
“There’s a clear appetite for more collaboration across industry, and for tools that make analytics more accessible to end-users,” says Chris Stamatis, M.AIRAH, associate director of AIRAH’s Big Data and Analytics STG.
“It was great to see so much engagement across different sectors.”
Ready for a recap?
Registered attendees can access recordings of the presentations from Future of HVAC, Building Physics and Big Data and Analytics at the conference website.
Industry support
The 2026 HVAC Innovation Conference was strongly supported by industry.
Major sponsor: ATTMA
Sponsors: A.G. Coombs, TAFE NSW, AMS, CopperTree Analytics, Optergy
Trade display sponsors: Seeley International, Testo, Condair
Supporting partners: Green Building Council of Australia, ASBEC, EEC, AMCA Australia
Education sponsor: AIRAH Professional Development
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