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AIRAH’s 2021 Industry Nights announced
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has announced it will be holding 19 Industry Nights across Australia in 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, AIRAH was only able to hold two face-to-face Industry Nights in 2020. AIRAH also transitioned the traditional Industry Nights into the Virtual Industry Showcase, and held two exhibitor […]
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IOR calls for presenters on net-zero initiatives
The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) is calling on individuals involved in innovation or initiatives that will help achieve carbon reductions in the refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pump field to share their findings at the Institute’s next annual conference. Titled “The journey towards net-zero heating and cooling – beyond refrigeration 2021,” the IOR Conference will […]
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Last chance to comment on professional registration
The consultation on NSW’s draft Design and Building Practitioners Regulation – which introduces professional registration of engineers – closes on January 11. The regulation includes the details of registration schemes for design and building practitioners and engineers who work on multistorey, multi-unit residential apartment buildings. Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson has described […]
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Smart cooling for Singapore’s sustainable town
Singapore has set a target of capping its emissions by around 2030 and then halving them by 2050. Part of the Southeast Asian nation’s effort to reach that goal comes in the form of Tengah, Singapore’s first smart and sustainable town. It is the country’s most ambitious project to date in building the city of […]
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Renewed interest in thermoelectric cooling
Researchers writing in Nature Materials have called for increased efforts to find new thermoelectric materials. In 1834, French physicist Jean Peltier discovered that at the junction of two different metals, a heating or cooling effect could be produced through electrical currents. Bismuth tellurium compounds have now been used for thermoelectric cooling for more than 60 […]
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Ireland establishes first direct heating scheme
Tallaght in Dublin is set to become the site of Ireland’s first large-scale district heating scheme. Common in many large European cities, district heating is a system for redistributing waste heat from local industry, power stations or incinerators to meet heating requirements for other premises. In this instance, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has designed a data […]
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TAFEs collaborate on HVAC&R training
GOTAFE, Bendigo TAFE and the Box Hill Institute have formed a unique collaboration to update the Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration for the training of future apprentices. The project has brought together expertise from specialist trainers across each of the three registered training organisations (RTOs) as well as input from a range of […]
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Fujitsu General expands ducted range
In early 2021 Fujitsu General will be adding an 18kW high-static three-phase ducted air conditioner to its Infinity range. This will provide installers with a new option for projects with limited space outdoors and in the ceiling cavity. This 18kW option will include a narrow 480mm outdoor unit and lightweight (69kg) indoor unit. The narrow […]
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Digital electronic controller for walk-in coolers
The C450CCU controller is the newest member of PENN’s System 450 series of modular electronic controls. It is designed to manage the space temperature of small and medium capacity walk-in coolers/freezers and refrigerated display cases. System 450 is a family of modular, digital electronic controls that provides temperature, pressure, and humidity control for a wide […]
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Report finds ‘disjointed’ laws on flammable refrigerants
A new report commissioned by Refrigerants Australia has mapped out the laws that govern the use of flammable refrigerants in this country. It also highlights key themes and gaps within the regulatory landscape. The report, written by Bronwyn Weir and Krista Weymouth, reveals a complicated patchwork of regulations. There is no one set of laws […]
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Female fridgie wins apprentice of the year
Refrigeration and air conditioning apprentice Natasha Kirchner has been awarded Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Apprentice of the Year at the third annual TAFE Queensland – SkillsTech Apprentice Awards. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year a small event was held at the TAFE Queensland South Bank campus, with part of the evening live-streamed to a broader […]
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Cooling school playgrounds to counter climate change impacts
As part of a project to cool school playgrounds, environmental organisation Greening Australia and Western Sydney University have released a study revealing some of the most heat-vulnerable schools in the Sydney Basin. As part of its Cooling the Schools program, Greening Australia commissioned Western Sydney University to capture location-specific measurements at 100 schools from Western […]
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CDC updates advice on COVID-19 and ventilation
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) has released updated advice to reduce exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. The advice includes suggestions to improve ventilation that may help reduce the concentration of virus particles in the air. According to the CDC website, SARS-CoV-2 viral particles spread between people more readily indoors than […]
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PCA proposes ‘return to CBD’ roadmap
The Property Council of Australia has proposed a national plan to support the return of workers to central business districts (CBDs). As office occupancy in major CBDs still lags behind pre-COVID pandemic levels, the Council is urging a return to office workplaces to revitalise the CBD economies. “We are now at a critical juncture for […]
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Industry organisations confirm ‘powerful’ merger
The Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA) has announced a collaborative merger with the Australian Building Sustainability Association (ABSA) that it says will bring a “fresh new energy” to the sustainable building industry. “For everyone involved, this merger is sure to be a fruitful and progressive one for Australia’s building industry and the nation as […]
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New technologies eligible for Victorian Energy Upgrades
The Victorian government has set new targets for the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, and is expanding the range of technologies that households and businesses can access. The VEU program allows households and businesses to access discounts on energy-efficient products and services. This already includes reverse-cycle air conditioners for households, as well as a wider […]
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Industry offers guidance on fire safety practitioners
AIRAH, the AMCA, FMA and FPA Australia have written to certifying organisations to provide guidance on selecting fire safety practitioners in New South Wales. New requirements have been introduced for fire safety practitioners in NSW. The previously named competent fire safety practitioners (CFSP) are now called Accredited Practitioners (Fire Safety), or APFS, and must be […]
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AMCA celebrates industry achievement
The New South Wales and Victoria branch of the Air Conditioning & Mechanical Contractors’ Association (AMCA) separately hosted awards ceremonies recently. Both events were held in person, following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across the country. NSW Industry Achievement Awards The NSW Industry Achievement Awards were held at West HQ in Western Sydney. Finalists were […]
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New look for NCC 2022
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has announced the 2022 version of the National Construction Code (NCC) will be released as a digital product. Historically a print-only publication, the digital release is being planned to improve the usability of the code. The ABCB is making the changes after consulting with industry groups, and the first […]
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Gender pay gap grows in construction
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) has released its findings from 4,943 reports submitted for 2019–20. The gender pay gap in the construction industry has risen by 0.1 per cent in the last year, and now has the second-highest rated full-time pay gap at 26.1 per cent. In a Build Australia article, National Chair of […]