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A perfect storm of international forces may cause significant rises in the price of refrigerants in Australia. The first of these pressures is the US HFC phase-down, set to begin on January 1, 2022. As occurred in other markets around the world, importers and users are stocking up before restrictions begin, leading to increased demand. […]
A Glasgow dance club and arts venue is implementing a geothermal heat pump system designed to store and reuse body heat from its patrons. A retrofit ahead of COP26 will see the venue, SWG3, implement a geothermal heat-pump system known as Bodyheat. The system is designed to suck up the heat generated by thousands of […]
The Energy Efficiency Expo Virtual Conference 2021 will held as a series of free-to-attend online sessions from October 19–28. Energy Efficiency Expo is dedicated to the discussion of energy efficiency, energy management and energy productivity in Australia. “Across seven sessions, the virtual conference will bring together over 40 leading experts to help businesses take control […]
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines for air quality in recognition of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood. The guidelines set maximum levels for a range of pollutants: particulate matter (as PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. They […]
Designed in Australia, Daikin’s AirHub Touch Zone Controller has been developed to give homeowners more flexible temperature control. “With the typical home divided into separate areas or ‘zones’,” says Daikin, “it makes sense to only air condition zones that are occupied, and switch off unoccupied zones. When used in conjunction with a Daikin Premium Inverter […]
Carel has launched a new iJM solution for the beverage cooler market in a strategic partnership with Vision IoT. According to Carel, the beverage cooler market has seen increasing demand for solutions that reduce environmental impact by cutting energy consumption and emissions, and that feature connectivity options to give beverage companies better intelligence on the […]
Humidity control and evaporative cooling specialist Condair is launching the Condair GS, a new condensing gas-fired humidifier that is BSI-certified for Type A gas installation in Australia. According to Condair, the unit minimises energy consumption by transferring heat from exhaust flue gases into the incoming water supply, thereby reducing the need to heat the water […]
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia (MHIAA) has been recognised by consumer comparison group Canstar Blue as the 2021 Most Satisfied Customer award winner in the air conditioners category. It is the third year in a row that MHIAA has won the award and follows the company’s recent announcement of being awarded Australia’s Best Brand of […]
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia (MHIAA) has been recognised by leading consumer advocacy group Choice as the Best Brand of Air Conditioners. It’s the fourth year in a row that MHIAA has earned the award. The Best Brand award is based on a combination of product testing and consumer reliability and satisfaction surveys that are […]
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, EML Group and Apprenticeship Support Australia are offering free half-day training sessions to support the mental health of apprentices. The courses are aimed at business owners, senior managers, HR and OHS professionals, return to work coordinators and people managers in businesses of any size that employ apprentices. Apprentices […]
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has decided to hold its International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain as a virtual event from April 11–13 in 2022. The conference was due to take place in Newcastle, UK, but the organisers decided to move the event online to encourage international registrations. Chairman of the Planning […]
The Biden administration has announced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will release a new rule to reduce the emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 85 per cent over 15 years. The move, signalled earlier this year, will bring the USA in line with the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which has now been ratified by […]
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is urging workers to submit their applications for occupational and site supervisor licences ahead of the January 1, 2022 deadline – and to take advantage of the alternative pathway arrangements that finish this week, on September 30. According to the QBCC, assessment officers have seen an increase in […]
A coalition of nine industry peak bodies has called for the development of credible, government-endorsed, public information regarding the airborne transmission of COVID-19 and the importance of indoor air quality. A letter addressed to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, has been signed by the Association of Consulting Architects, the Australian Institute […]
The Queensland government has approved the AIRAH Professional Engineer Register (APER) program under its Professional Engineers Act 2002. This opens a dedicated pathway for engineers working in HVAC&R and building services to be assessed and secure Registered Professional Engineer Qld (RPEQ) status. The announcement comes as states and territories roll out professional registration schemes in […]
The Victorian government has announced it will invest more than $190 million in initiatives to support a COVID-safe reopening of schools, with a focus on ventilation. Billed by the government as “the biggest investment in education ventilation in Australian history”, the initiative will see 51,000 air purification devices rolled out to all government and low-fee […]
CoolAutomation is running a webinar on Tuesday, September 28 focusing on the latest developments in HVAC service and integration. In the webinar, former Daikin dealer David Aquilina will introduce participants to a set of devices and demonstrate how to easily integrate HVAC systems into a home automation system. He will also present new cloud-based remote […]
CSIRO has published predictive and typical meteorological year weather files suitable for use by building energy simulation software. For many years, building designers in Australia have faced a problem: the standard weather files for building simulation did not reflect the impacts of a changing climate, in particular summer overheating risks. This issue was highlighted in […]
A project involving CIBSE ANZ and AIRAH is analysing a UK methodology for calculating embodied carbon in building services, and adapting it for Australia. Embodied carbon is defined by the World Green Building Council as carbon emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole life-cycle of a building or infrastructure. This includes the […]
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is seeking comment on a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS) providing an analysis of proposed amendments to the residential energy efficiency provisions included in stage 2 of the NCC 2022 public comment draft. The CRIS provides an analysis of the cost and benefits of the proposed increases in the […]