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Tag: Featured
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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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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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ABCB publishes indoor air quality handbook
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has published a handbook to foster a greater understanding of the indoor air quality (IAQ) verification methods in the National Construction Code (NCC) Volumes One and Two. The IAQ verification methods include FV4.1 and FV4.2 (of NCC Volume One) and V2.4.5 of (NCC Volume Two). The handbook is written by […]
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Courses in WUFI hygrothermal analysis
Building envelope expert Pro Clima is running three online training sessions in June on WUFI, a program for calculating the coupled heat and moisture transfer in building components, in one and two dimensions, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics. Analysis of the coupling of heat and moisture is known as hygrothermics. Hygrothermal analysis […]
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IOR joins Cool Coalition
The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) has joined the Cool Coalition – a UNEP-led initiative that supports the UN sustainable development goals and Paris Agreement through action on cooling. The move will see the IOR working with other organisations such as the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) and the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment […]
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Small businesses score $5m energy saver bonus
The Victorian government has launched the Small Business Energy Saver Program through Sustainability Victoria. The initiative will offer $5 million in bonuses to small businesses across the state to support their transition to a low-cost, energy-efficient business model. Victorian small businesses with 19 full-time employees or fewer can receive up to $2,000 to install energy-efficient […]
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Liquid tribute to James Harrison
A Geelong brewery has launched a new craft beer to celebrate the achievements of Australia’s refrigeration pioneer James Harrison. Harrison’s Rocky Point Dark Lager is a special release from the Southern Bay Brewery. According to general manager Michael Connell, the brew was suggested by the Geelong and Region Branch of the National Trust, which recently […]
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Reforming Victoria’s building regulatory system
The Building Reform Expert Panel is inviting feedback on the Framework for Reform and possible improvements to Victoria’s building system. A group established by the Victorian government to lead its review of the building legislative and regulatory system, the Panel is accepting feedback until May 19. The Panel has been asked to advise on changes […]
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David Harrison elected new Property Council president
The Property Council of Australia has a new president: Charter Hall Managing Director and Group CEO, David Harrison. Harrison takes the reins of the industry association from JLL CEO Australia and New Zealand Stephen Conry AM, who has concluded his two-year term. GPT Group CEO Bob Johnston and Brookfield’s Sophie Fallman have both been elected […]
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Organic material holds promise for HVAC technology
A new study by researchers at Texas A&M University has found an organic material called polyimide that could bring down the cost of cooling air. Traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems use a large amount of energy, and cost thousands of dollars to run – particularly in commercial buildings. However, the researchers believe […]
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New HVAC&R Technical Handbook released
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has released the sixth edition of its Technical Handbook. The Technical Handbook was first published in May 1989, and has a long history as a “go-to resource” for those working in the HVAC&R industry. Over the years, AIRAH members have helped develop, review, and curate […]
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EIA and shecco publish Cooling Product List
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and natural refrigerants advocate shecco have teamed up to produce a consumer guide titled Pathway to Net-Zero: Cooling Product List. The EIA says the guide is aimed at helping companies cut their collective carbon footprint by providing a selection of products across all major cooling sectors, with a focus on […]
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New electric motor attracts big-name investors
Question: What do Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr have in common? Both are investing in Turntide Technologies, a Silicon Valley start-up that is developing an energy-efficient electric motor. Turntide Technologies says it has completed an US$80m (A$105m) funding round that was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the clean-tech fund […]
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Trade licences to go digital in NSW
The NSW government has announced it will add trade licences to the digital wallet within the Service NSW app. According to a NSW Fair Trading spokesperson, the general construction induction “White Card” is the first category to go live as a Digital Trade Licence, followed by a range of other categories including Home Building contractors, […]
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Solar Decathlon launches 2022 and 2023 editions
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has announced the launch of the 2022 Design Challenge and 2023 Build Challenge. The Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that challenges student teams to design and build highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy. The Design Challenge is a one or two semester, design-only competition; while the Build Challenge is […]
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What to expect from a user-friendly NCC
The Australian Building Codes Board’s (ABCB) announced late last year that they would be releasing the 2022 National Construction Code (NCC) as a digital product, to make it more accessible and to improve its usability. The ABCB is running a webinar about the changes to the NCC’s structure and format on Tuesday, April 20, to […]
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AIRAH celebrates its 101st birthday
AIRAH has celebrated its “Centenary plus one” by sharing a special edition of its official journal, Ecolibrium, and by unveiling the complete list of its 100 Faces. On March 29 in 1920, the The Victorian Institute of Refrigeration was incorporated by guarantee. Forty years later, it changed its name to the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, […]
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New study looks at ideal placement of air purifiers
Researchers from the Department of Engineering, University of Minnesota, have published findings on the efficacy of air purifiers in achieving ventilation rates close to values prescribed by the World Health Organization. The same report claims that purifiers also help to achieve aerosol removal times within the Center of Disease Control and Prevention recommended guidelines. The […]
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Study predicts that oceans will emit CFCs
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are predicting that the world’s oceans, long regarded a stable repository of CFCs drawn from the atmosphere, will emit more CFC-11 back into the atmosphere than they absorb by 2075. Although used as tracers to study ocean currents, marine CFCs have always been regarded as having negligible […]