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Opening the door to better commissioning
Building commissioning is in the spotlight once again given the coming release of a Standards Australia Technical Specification for building commissioning, and AIRAH’s Commissioning Virtual Forum on June 3. The recent Expert Group report Leaks, Maintenance and Emissions in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning highlighted the potential for better commissioning to improve the energy efficiency of […]
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ASHRAE launches Vision 2030
US engineering body ASHRAE has launched its Vision 2030 webpage. The webpage can be found at ashrae.org/vision2030. ASHRAE says its Vision 2030 is about providing professionals in the building industry with the resources to drive the innovative and strategic improvements needed to foment the revolution of the built environment. “The Vision 2030 webpage provides guidance […]
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NABERS Sustainable Portfolios Index 2021
The third edition of the NABERS Sustainable Portfolios Index (SPI) is available online. In 2021, the SPI showcases the proven environmental performance of the top 43 building portfolios and funds around Australia. The SPI provides a public portfolio of building performance in terms of emissions, water usage, waste and indoor environment quality, and tracks progress […]
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TAFE Queensland apprentice scores Woolworths role
HVAC&R may be a traditionally male dominated industry, but there are stories of change – including the experience of refrigeration and air conditioning apprentice Katie Hammill-Lovett. Hammill-Lovett is one of 15 people in Australia to secure an apprenticeship with Woolworths Group in the past year, and is one of only four female apprentices to be […]
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HydroChem acquires Cairns-based water treatment company
HydroChem has announced the acquisition of Cairns-based water treatment company Maxwells H2O Services. The Queensland business has long specialised in commercial and industrial water treatment throughout FNQ and PNG. Co-owners Chris Harris and Keith Robinson are well known in the industry and have extensive experience in the resources and heavy industrial sectors. HydroChem has indicated […]
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Australian schools failing on indoor air quality
Australian schools need better ventilation to improve student health and productivity, according to new research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). A team from the UNSW Sydney’s School of Built Environment found concentrations of CO₂ in classrooms peaked significantly higher than the 850ppm threshold prescribed by the National Construction Code due to a […]
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Hitachi launches SideSmart VRF
Hitachi Cooling & Heating has introduced SideSmart, a new modular variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system offering space-saving advances. “SideSmart is a brand-new category of VRF which is slim and modular, delivering space-saving installation advancements in mid-size commercial buildings whilst providing high-performance air conditioning with flexible controls and maximum comfort,” says Hitachi. Measurements for the SideSmart […]
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Indoor Air Quality magazine launches
The Building Environmental Wellness Group has published its first edition of IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) Magazine. Ivi Sims, AM.AIRAH, and Dr Melissa Marot are the co-founders behind the quarterly digital magazine. It focuses on all aspects of indoor air quality, including: Restoration Indoor air quality, building and occupants Building physics HVAC Innovation in technology in […]
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Daikin and Gree teams win Global Cooling Prize
Team Daikin with partner Nikken Sekkei Ltd and team Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai with partner Tsinghua University have been announced dual winners of the Global Cooling Prize. The manufacturing giants showcased breakthrough technologies with five times less climate impact than conventional AC units and are planning to bring them to market by 2025. […]
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Upgrade ahead for Certificate III RAC qualification?
Australian Industry Standards (AIS) is seeking feedback on cases for change for various training packages and qualifications – including the Certificate III refrigeration and air conditioning qualification. Last year, the new Certificate III qualification for refrigeration and air conditioning, UEE32220, was finalised and will come online with registered training organisations by October 2022. Although the […]
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Mitsubishi Electric launches MSZ-GS for project market
Mitsubishi Electric Australia has announced the launch of the MSZ-GS Series, designed for the demands of the Australian project market. The MSZ-GS Series wall-mounted split system air conditioning units feature a capacity range line-up of six models from 2.5–7.8kW. According to Mitsubishi Electric’s National Product Manager Atesh Mani, the new split systems have been designed […]
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Lendlease office assets achieve carbon-neutral status
One of Australia’s largest group of office assets, Lendlease Funds Management’s Australian office portfolio, has been certified carbon neutral. The carbon-neutral status applies to more than $11.1 billion in office assets and 566,000m2 of floor space managed by Lendlease across three of its flagship office funds. The carbon-neutral goal has been achieved five years ahead […]
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Female apprentice steps into a cool career
Brisbane resident Stephanie Peters has become the first female air conditioning and refrigeration apprentice to be hired by Broadcast Services Australia (BSA) in Queensland, a national technical services company. Peters herself admits she took a more conventional path before deciding to apply for her apprenticeship at TAFE Queensland. “In high school it was really drilled into us […]
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Ziehl-Abegg reports growth despite pandemic
Global electric motor and fan manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg has reported sales of €639 million (AU$995 million) in 2020 – an increase of around 1 per cent over 2019 – and is expecting continued growth in 2021. “The year 2020 was like a rollercoaster ride,” says Ziehl-Abegg CEO Peter Fenkl, “alternating suddenly and rapidly between border closures, […]
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NSW confirms professional registration plans
The New South Wales government has taken the next step towards introducing professional registration of engineers and other building practitioners by gazetting the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021. The regulation includes details on the classes of practitioners who must register, registration pathways and CPD requirements, lodgement of compliance declarations, insurance, and more. From July […]
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CAREL offers new digital input expansion board
CAREL has widened its range of I/O expansions with the development of a new digital input expansion board, the pCOe Digital Input. I/O expansions are modules that can be added to a typical air conditioning application to increase the number of inputs and outputs available on the controller and consequently optimise the flexibility and modularity of […]
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Changing the game for residential AC
A new air conditioner with the potential to transform the global residential AC market is set to be unveiled at the Global Cooling Prize Grand Award Ceremony on April 29. It marks the end of an innovation competition that began in 2018, but also the start of a larger effort to drive the air conditioning […]
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New modelling of aerosol movement in HVAC systems
A new Australian study published in the latest issue of Ecolibrium has sought to determine the potential for droplets expelled from people when sneezing or coughing to propagate through a typical HVAC system. “The current pandemic has forced the HVAC community to look closely at the systems we use in buildings,” says co-author and LCI […]
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Refrigeration 2021 goes hybrid
AIRAH has announced that its two-day Refrigeration 2021 Conference will be run as a hybrid event, with a modified live-streamed program to run alongside the live happening, slated for Melbourne over May 17–18. The program for attendees who join AIRAH for the live stream of the Refrigeration 2021 conference includes presentations and panels in one […]
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Whitest ever paint promises cooling benefits
A team of engineers at Purdue University has created the whitest paint in history and says that using it on buildings may help cool them down, reducing the need for air conditioning. The research team created an ultra-white paint last year, but have since improved the formula. Purdue professor of mechanical engineering, Xiulin Ruan, told […]