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Free online refrigerant course
Industry groups have joined together to create a free online course called Real Alternatives 4 Life, to provide education on the safe use of alternative refrigerants such as ammonia, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide. The course has been developed in response to the European F-Gas Regulation, which encourages wider adoption of refrigerants with a lower global […]
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New rules for Queensland fridgies
A new licensing framework has been introduced in Queensland. Workers now require a Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) licence for mechanical services work. According to the QBCC, “improperly installed and maintained heating and cooling systems can lead to dangerous bacteria growing and spreading through systems in facilities such as aged care, hospitals and shopping […]
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Grant funding for better buildings
Applications are open for round one of the City of Sydney environmental performance grants. Through the grants and sponsorship program, the City aims to enable residents and businesses to improve their environmental performance. The City provides funds to reduce carbon emissions, save water and cut operating costs in buildings. Recipients can commission energy and/or water […]
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Vale David Norman, engineering legend
Norman Disney & Young (NDY) founder David Norman passed away recently, aged 90. “David Norman, founder of Norman Disney & Young, was a pioneer of the engineering consultancy industry in Australia,” says NDY. “With a focus on service and communication, as well as innovative results, his methods proved well ahead of their time, and paved […]
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Coronavirus and HVAC
Since the first case was detected in China in December 2019, the novel (new) coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread rapidly. On January 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus a public health emergency. Although the vast majority of coronavirus patients have been in China, cases have been confirmed in Australia. Not surprisingly, local […]
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RAC course shut down
Trades College Australia in Punchbowl, Sydney, has lost its RTO status for issues related to the delivery of recognition of prior learning (RPL) for refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) courses. The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) worked with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), the training industry regulator, on the case. ASQA took action against Trades […]
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Sneak peek: ARBS Speaker Series
ARBS has released details of its 2020 Speaker Series. ARBS 2020 is taking place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 19–21. The Speaker Series is still in its final stages of development, but some highlights have already been confirmed. Infrastructure Without Tears: How to transition from commercial to industrial contracts without losing your […]
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Sydney Build 2020 Expo
The Sydney Build 2020 Expo is being held at ICC Sydney from March 19–20. Now in its fifth year, the Expo focuses on construction, architecture and infrastructure. The event is free and will offer attendees: 21 summits across eight conference stages More than 300 speaker presentations CPD accreditation Over 350 exhibitors in three exhibition halls […]
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Fire safety reforms for NSW
Rules are changing for fire safety practitioners in NSW. From April 2020, only accredited persons under the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS) will be authorised to endorse plans and specifications of some fire safety systems. While this will initially apply to the design of wet and dry fire safety systems, HVAC design is expected to […]
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Speakers announced for Refrigeration 2020
As AIRAH heads into its centenary year, the first celebration off the ranks will be the Refrigeration Conference 2020. An impressive list of speakers has been announced for the conference, taking place in Melbourne from March 23–24. The keynote speakers are Thomas Lund of Danfoss Industrial Refrigeration from Denmark, and Bruce Nelson, M.AIRAH, of Colmac […]
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Passive House hits prime time
As Australians struggle through another sweltering summer, more families are trying to lower their power bills through better energy efficiency in their homes. A recent report on ABC’s 7.30 delved into exactly how much Australians could be saving if they had Passive House homes. Passive House (also known as Passivhaus) is a low-energy and high-comfort […]
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Beijer Ref acquires ACD Trade
Global refrigeration wholesaler Beijer Ref AB has signed an agreement to acquire all shares in the Australian HVAC company ACD Trade. ACD Trade is a leading HVAC distribution company in Australia with around 60 employees. The company supplies the market with well-known brands and has a wide range of products, which includes both HVAC units […]
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Apple, Amazon, Google team up on smart home standard
Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance have joined together to work on Project Connected Home over IP, or CHIP. The new, royalty-free connectivity standard aims to increase compatibility among smart home products, with a focus on security. According to the CHIP website, the goal of the project is to simplify development for manufacturers and […]
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R32 expanding rapidly in EU
The Building Services Research & Information Association (BSRIA) has predicted the R32 market share for split systems in Europe will exceed 80 per cent by 2023. According to its research, R32 accounted for approximately 37 per cent of the market in 2019. R32 has a lower global warming potential (GWP) than other refrigerants (of 675), […]
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Moving beyond sustainability
The Sustainable Building Innovation Laboratory (SBiLab) at RMIT University is holding an event called “Architecture of Goodness: Moving Beyond Sustainability” in Melbourne on Wednesday, February 5. The event will feature: Shirish Beri | Shirish Beri and AssociatesBeri is the founder of Shirish Beri and Associates in Kolhapur, India. Beri’s works reflect his values and concerns […]
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Rogue HFC23 emissions on the rise
A new report in Nature Communications has highlighted a large and unexpected increase in emissions of HFC23 – a hydrofluorocarbon with extremely high global warming potential that is mainly produced as an unwanted by-product during the manufacture of R22. R22 is a hydrochorofluorocarbon (HCFC) that destroys the ozone layer, and it is being phased out […]
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New podcast on building physics
A new episode of the AIRAH on Air podcast features highlights and experts’ insights from the 2019 Building Physics Forum. The event, held in Melbourne from October 23–24 last year, featured 35 presenters discussing topics such as air movement, thermal performance, passive house, control of moisture, sensible and latent energy, acoustic performance, light, solar control, […]
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24ºC new AC default in India
The Indian government has announced that 24ºC will be the new default temperature for air conditioners (AC). This includes all air conditioners that are labelled under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)-star program. The default setting is the setting at which a machine comes from the factory. Gadgets Now reports that very few people in India […]
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ASHRAE upgrades its global HQ
ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) has commenced construction on its new global headquarters renovation project. ASHRAE marked the occasion with a launch event on January 10. The building is a two-story, 66,700 square-foot building in Georgia, USA, and will include features such as: Energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems Water-efficient plumbing […]
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The ultimate beer for fridgies?
San Diego-based craft brewery Ballast Point is taking sustainability to heady new heights, by using condensate from air conditioning systems to make beer. Ballast Point has teamed up with San Diego International Airport to use waste water for the new SAN Test Pilot beer. The airport has been collecting the condensate dripping from the AC […]