Page 57
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TRANSFORM 2023 to be delivered as a hybrid event
The Green Building Council of Australia’s fifth annual TRANSFORM conference is slated to take place over March 22–23, 2023 at the Hilton Sydney and as a hybrid event. The gathering has been described by the GBCA as the industry-leading event at the forefront of the sustainable built environment. “Change is critical,” say the conference organisers. […]
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Sunshine Coast considers urban forests for cooling
A study is under way to investigate the “hot spots” of the Sunshine Coast and explore how urban forests can minimise heat risks. The Cool Urban Forests project is being delivered through the University of the Sunshine Coast and Sunshine Coast Council’s Regional Partnership Agreement. Project lead Dr Silvia Tavares, a UniSC Senior Lecturer in […]
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New path for PV-powered cooling
An Australian-Indian group of researchers is exploring the combined use of thermoelectric modules (TEMs) and rooftop photovoltaics (PV) in HVAC for buildings. Using air as the thermal fluid for the rooftop PV, the scientists designed a system that uses a primary TEM wall to deliver room air conditioning. Traditionally, TEMs have not been used in […]
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Buildings and construction failing net zero challenge
The 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction has been released at COP27, containing alarming news for the sector. Overall, it indicates that after a temporary drop in emissions during the pandemic, emissions have hit an all-time high. This has been driven by increases in construction that have wiped out improvements in energy efficiency. […]
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Exploring the potential of solar process heat
The Solar Academy of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Program and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) are hosting a free webinar on solar process heat. According to the IEA SHC Solar Academy, the industrial sector accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the total energy consumption in OECD countries. Most of the energy […]
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Air quality webinar for healthy buildings
IAQ Ventilation will host a webinar to discuss indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring, and the latest trends in IAQ smart sensor technology. The free one-hour webinar, Indoor Air Quality Monitoring and Visualisation in Practice, will be held on November 23. IAQ Ventilation says its webinar is ideal for building operators, consulting engineers, HVAC and […]
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Fujitsu General grows its applied team
Fujitsu General Australia has welcomed Frank Spiropoulos to the role of Applied Business Manager. Fujitsu General says Spiropoulos is a seasoned HVAC professional with experience in a range of roles valuable to the business: from chiller technician to authorised dealer and product support manager. Prior to joining the company, his most recent role was as […]
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Fujitsu General launches new Comfort range
Fujitsu General Australia has launched its new wall-mounted reverse cycle Comfort range, featuring six models from 2.5kW to 7.1kW cooling capacity. Kyle Rafter, Head of Product ANZ, Fujitsu General, says the Comfort range was designed to ensure maximum value and user satisfaction, combining energy efficient features and award-winning design. “It is important that Australians have […]
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Dodgy short courses are no more, says ARC
The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) says it has put the kibosh on dodgy RTOs that issue spurious qualifications. According to the ARC, tell-tale signs of inadequacy for these so-called qualifications are course length – typically two days when a minimum of 360 hours has been deemed necessary – and inappropriate reliance on recognition of prior […]
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Women in cooling survey reveals global challenges
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has published a new report surveying 810 women worldwide working in the HVAC&R sector, to better understand their careers, challenges, motivation, and opportunities. According to the report, more than 15 million people are employed worldwide in the HVAC&R industry, with the under-representation of women evidenced by the fact that […]
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Global award to recognise lower GWP innovation
Entries are open for the ASHRAE and OzonAction of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 2022 Lower GWP Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Innovation Award. According to ASHRAE, the award promotes innovative design, research, and practice. It recognises people who have developed or implemented innovative technological concepts applied in developing countries to minimise global warming potential (GWP) through […]
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HVAC exhaust can boost rooftop crops
Researchers have found that planting vegetables crops near vents exhausting carbon dioxide-rich air can produce up to four times more growth. The farming system, known as BIG GRO, takes a sustainable waste resource that exists in excess in cities – human respiration – and applies it to farming. Conducted on the roof of the […]
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Building industry ready to lead decarbonisation efforts
A coalition of 25 major building industry organisations has issued a statement at COP27 pledging to assume a leadership role in decarbonisation efforts in the built environment. The statement, the Building Industry Steps Up to Address Climate Change, is addressed to government representatives that are parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes […]
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Unprecedented weather for Australia and world
As parts of Australia had their wettest spring on record, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the Earth has just experienced its warmest eight-year period on record. Through mid-October, parts of Australia were experiencing unprecedented precipitation. On October 6, Sydney had received about 2,213mm of rainfall for the year, surpassing the previous record of 2,194mm […]
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ABCB making editorial corrections to NCC 2022
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) will be making editorial corrections to the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022. According to the ABCB, the corrections do not change the effect of the provisions. “The relevant editorial updates will correct some minor typographical errors and hyperlinks across the national requirements and state and territory variations,” says the […]
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Worldwide celebration of ventilation
November 8 is being celebrated as the first official World Ventilation Day – or, as it has been dubbed, World Ventil8 Day. Launched by a coalition of scientists, academics, engineering bodies and environmental activists, the international awareness campaign promotes the critical role of better building ventilation in supporting health, wellbeing, and productivity. It is being […]
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APS Industrial to distribute Siemens products
APS Industrial has been confirmed as an Australian national distribution partner for Siemens building technology products. The latest agreement adds the Siemens building technology product portfolios to the partnership. These include building automation and associated HVAC field devices (valves and actuators, damper actuators, sensors, metering products and room thermostats), variable speed drives, and Siemens’ GAMMA […]
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Daikin launches new VRV R Series Heat Recovery System
Daikin Australia has launched the newest addition to its VRV range – the VRV R Series (REYQ-BYM). Daikin says the sixth-generation model enables simultaneous cooling and heating operation in a single VRV system, and boasts considerable improvement over previous generations. “Daikin VRV systems have continually set the standard for energy efficiency, reliability and comfort for […]
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NABERS on the march
NABERS’ FY22 annual report has confirmed a positive outlook for the successful ratings system, with more customers, more non-mandated ratings, and tools for more sectors. Growth in the NABERS platform was seen across the board. There were increases in Shopping Centre ratings (12.5 per cent), Waste for Offices ratings (72 per cent), Carbon Neutral ratings […]
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World grapples with refrigerant transition
A special international publication has collected perspectives from around the globe on the transition to low-GWP refrigerants under the Kigali Amendment. With the help of local experts, it reveals how the HFC phase-down is tracking, the major challenges so far, and the potential solutions. The Kigali Amendment aims to phase down HFC production worldwide by […]