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Authorities find ‘ice’ in imported fridges
Refrigeration made the headlines for unusual reasons recently when more than half a tonne of the drug ice was found in a shipment of imported fridges. Australian Border Force officers at the Sydney Container Examination Facility examined the container shipped from Singapore. It was declared to contain electronic ovens but was found to have 11 […]
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Illegal HFC trade ‘flourishing’ in Europe
A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has revealed the startling extent of Europe’s illegal HFC activity. The report, Doors Wide Open, is the result of surveys conducted in late 2018 with EU member states and key industry stakeholders. “Reports from industry indicate that large-scale illegal HFC trade and use is occurring in […]
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Energy consumption and emissions hit record levels
Global energy consumption and CO2 emissions rose to record levels in 2018, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). And one of the major contributors to the increase was HVAC&R. According to the IEA, energy consumption worldwide grew by 2.3 per cent in 2018, nearly twice the average rate of growth […]
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Research to Reality Expos
The Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) is holding a series of events across Australia in May and June to celebrate the research it has done with six universities. The tertiary institutions and the CRCLCL have been working together to develop next-generation, low carbon materials and technologies to help develop sustainable cities. “It’s […]
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Eurothermal announces new chiller series
Eurothermal has announced the Blue Box Omicron range, a new high-efficiency four-pipe modular multi-functional chiller. With a cooling and heating capacity from 100 to 900kW, the Omicron range has been designed to provide cooling and heating simultaneously, with claimed efficiency at full-load COP greater than 3.1, and a combined cool and hot total efficiency ratio […]
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National Clean Technologies Conference and Exhibition
The National Clean Technologies Conference and Exhibition is being held on the Sunshine Coast from May 29–31. The conference will focus on all clean technology (cleantech) growth areas including energy, waste, water, built environment and transport. There will be a particular focus on commercialisation, creating effective business clusters, the potential of the circular economy, innovation case […]
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The future of AC and heating?
A research team at Germany’s Saarland University has developed a prototype device that can transfer heat using “muscles” made from nickel-titanium. Nickel-titanium is a shape-memory material that releases heat to its surroundings when it is mechanically loaded in its superelastic state. It absorbs heat from its surroundings when it is unloaded. The team, led by […]
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K-CEP establishes Million Cool Roofs Challenge
The Kigali Cooling Efficiency program (K-CEP) has announced the Million Cool Roofs Challenge. A US$2 million global competition, the initiative is designed to rapidly scale up the deployment of highly solar-reflective “cool” roofs in developing countries. The Challenge will award US$100,000 grants to up to 10 teams this year to deploy solar reflective coating and/or […]
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Schneider Electric’s new data centre solution
Schneider Electric has announced a new generation of shoebox-sized variable speed drives (VSDs) and computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units that offer energy savings for collocation data centres – also known as “colos”. According to the company, the VSDs can deliver energy savings of up to 30 per cent by managing the operating speed of […]
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Heatcraft launches Gas2Go cylinder management app
Heatcraft has released a new app to help customers better manage their cylinder fleets. Gas2Go lets business owners and contractors assign and transfer cylinder holders, scan bar codes and geolocate cylinders. They can also assign locations and add activity notes against each cylinder. And fill weights can be adjusted to accurately measure refrigerant across the […]
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HVAC contractors needed for $500m schools initiative
The NSW government has advertised an Expression of Interest (EOI) to establish panels of HVAC contractors to undertake works at schools across the state. The work is part of the $500 million Cooler Classrooms initiative announced last year. The program will provide air conditioning in permanent learning spaces and libraries at schools that experience a mean […]
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RICS announces Confidence Conference
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is convening a Building Confidence Conference in Sydney on May 2 and is encouraging professionals in property – working across investment, lending, valuation, cost reporting, construction risk, certification and development – to attend. The aim of the conference is to facilitate industry-led discussion around the challenges to winning […]
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So how do you define refrigeration?!
A group of experts from the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) have been working together to establish common definitions of five words that characterise the refrigeration sector. After more than a year of discussions, the organisations came to the agreement on the following […]
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Exploding the 22°C comfort myth
A new Australian study is taking on the long-held debate: is your office’s 22°C thermostat really set at the correct temperature? Around the world, 22°C has become standard practice. For workers, it’s believed to be the optimal temperature for productivity – a claim backed by ASHRAE and REHVA. Not so, says a team from South […]
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Daikin achieves Australian Made certifications
Four Daikin products now officially bear the Australian Made certification. “These Australian Made certifications are the first we’ve attained at Daikin, and it’s a very proud moment for us,” says Shaun Uehara, managing director of Daikin Australia. The company began manufacturing products in Australia in 1982. Australian Made is a registered certification trademark that is Australia’s […]
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EcoDuct wins best practice status
In response to growth in the use of low-profile PVC ductwork, the Vinyl Council of Australia has added the product as a new category to its Best Environmental Practice (BEP) PVC Product Register. And the first product to score the BEP trade mark is the EcoDuct 300 Series. The mark is awarded to independently assessed, […]
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New data on skills shortages
Australian Industry Standards (AIS) has conducted an online survey for stakeholders to find out more about skills shortages in the electrotechnology industry. And the results have now been published. In the electrotechnology sector, 76.9 per cent of respondents reported experiencing a skills shortage in the past 12 months. The occupations reported as being in shortage […]
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Opinion: Reducing emissions through innovation
By Iain Campbell, Senior Fellow at Rocky Mountain Institute and Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH, CEO of AIRAH. With the hottest summer on record just behind us, climate change is top of mind for many of us here in Australia. Since 1910, our country has warmed over 1°C on average, leading to more extreme heat events, including […]
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Mitsubishi Electric launches ‘quietest ever’ system
Mitsubishi Electric has launched a new split system boasting quiet operation and dual barrier coating. The MSZ-AP models use R32 refrigerant and range from 2.5–7.8kW, making them suitable for cooling and heating most homes. Mitsubishi Electric says that thanks to new technology, the units are ultra-quiet during the day and even quieter at night. Users […]
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Mitsubishi Heavy’s new HQ
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia (MHIAA) recently relocated its head office from Kingsgrove in New South Wales to Regents Park. MHIAA’s managing director Yuji Ito says the new space offers improved facilities more suited to the expanding company’s changing needs. MHIAA worked with Powerhouse Group for the design and build of the new office space […]