Laura Timberlake

October 8, 2019

World leaders commit to stopping climate change

News

Government and private sector leaders have announced significant and concrete new steps to combat the climate crisis at the Climate Action Summit. The event brought together countries, governments, businesses and civil society to address climate change issues. Some of the commitments included: A number of countries agreeing to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero […]

October 7, 2019

RAC roundtable highlights industry issues

News

A refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) contractors roundtable held in Adelaide recently highlighted a number of key issues currently facing the industry. The meeting followed on from a similar event in Sydney. The Chair of the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) Michael Bennett says the sessions are a great opportunity to connect with the broader industry […]

September 25, 2019

Building Physics feels the Love

Events and conferences

The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has announced two keynotes for the 2019 Building Physics Forum: Honorary Consul Kim Lovegrove MSE RML FAIB and Duane Jonlin from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections in the US. The Building Physics Forum is being held in Melbourne at the Bayview Eden Melbourne […]

September 20, 2019

CIBSE ANZ Young Engineers Awards

Events and conferences

CIBSE ANZ held the Young Engineers Awards on Thursday, September 12. Nine students and young engineer finalists flew to Melbourne from around Australia and New Zealand for the winning announcement in each of the award categories. The event was held at Melbourne Museum, and guests were given a special presentation by Peter Mathieson, F.AIRAH, Technical […]

September 11, 2019

ASHRAE seeks papers on efficient building design

Events and conferences

ASHRAE is calling for papers for the Fourth International Conference on Efficient Building Design. The conference is being held on October 1–2, 2020, at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. The focus of the fourth ASHRAE Beirut Conference is on novel building technologies that enhance environmental quality in buildings. The conference will present advanced research on […]

September 11, 2019

Concerns over cold-housing deaths

Features

Better Renting has released a report that estimates low-quality housing causes approximately 140 cold-related deaths per year in the ACT. The report is titled Unsafe as Houses: Cold-housing deaths in the ACT, and compares temperature data with statistics on monthly deaths from 2009–17. The report uses data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and […]

September 6, 2019

Consultation on “smart” demand response

Regulations

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council has drafted a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for certain electrical appliances to be demand-response capable. The South Australian Government is leading the consultation under the Energy Equipment Efficiency (E3) Program. The consultation paper re-examined and updated the modelling that was undertaken in 2013/14, quantifying energy network peak cost […]

September 3, 2019

The Chill Challenge

News

Engineers Without Borders – USA (EWB-USA) is launching the Affordable Off-Grid Refrigeration Challenge this month. Refrigeration is acknowledged as a key in social and economic development. But up to two billion people worldwide do not have access to reliable refrigeration. EWB-USA notes that refrigeration is a particular challenge because some people acquire electricity through “mini-grids” or […]

August 29, 2019

Best practice guide for coolrooms

Regulations

The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) is conducting a review of a best practice guide for energy efficient walk-in coolrooms and freezers. Walk-in coolrooms are those intended to store chilled or frozen foodstuffs and other perishable items. They are accessible by at least one door suitable for people to walk through. […]

August 23, 2019

An introduction to WUFI

Events and conferences

Prof. Dr Hartwig Künzel from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany is holding an introductory session about WUFI. WUFI is an acronym for Wärme Und Feuchte Instationär, which means heat and moisture transiency when translated. Prof. Dr Künzel is holding the event to demonstrate how WUFI works as a moisture management tool. It is a family of software products […]