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Tag: Slider
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OzonAction award winners
ASHRAE and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have announced the project selections for the 2019 ASHRAE-UNEP OzonAction Lower-GWP Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Innovation Awards. The annual international award program promotes innovative design, research and practice by recognising people who have developed or implemented innovative technological concepts applied in developing countries to promote lower global warming potential […]
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Flammable future for split systems?
German development agency GIZ has published a resource guide promoting the use of R290 (propane) in split system air conditioners. The guide highlights the efficiency benefits and potential emissions reductions that propane offers, and addresses concerns about flammable refrigerants. Ultimately, it aims to encourage policy-makers to facilitate the market uptake of energy-efficient split systems using […]
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Queensland tightens Cert II rules
The Queensland government has confirmed details of its new mechanical services licence framework, including the need for Certificate III qualifications to perform nearly all refrigeration and air conditioning work. The regulation incorporates feedback from the consultation period earlier this year, and confirms the goal of raising industry standards and accountability. “The licensing framework recognises that […]
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Every building counts
The Property Council of Australia and Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) have launched a policy toolkit called Every Building Counts: A practical plan for emissions reduction. The plan sets out practical pathways for transforming Australian homes, workplaces and buildings into low carbon, high-performance structures while reducing emissions. It also includes 75 recommendations to federal, state […]
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Industry snapshot: the latest figures
The Department of the Environment and Energy has released an updated version of Cold Hard Facts, the definitive inventory of Australia’s HVAC&R industry. The 2019 edition updates the version released last year (which contained data up to 2016) with data collected during 2017 and 2018. Key points from this year’s report include: The bank of […]
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ActronAir scores BMC award
Australian air conditioning manufacturer ActronAir has been recognised in Deloitte Australia’s Best Managed Companies (BMC) awards. The 2019 winners were announced at a ceremony in Sydney last week. This is the first year that Deloitte has held the first BMC awards in Australia. The program was established in Canada in 1993, and uses global insights […]
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Heat is on for Cooler Classrooms
Last year, the NSW government announced that it would invest half a billion dollars in the Cooler Classrooms program. The five-year initiative aims to improve learning environments in public schools across the state by providing air conditioning. But with summer fast approaching, progress has been modest. “We are committed to delivering a quality, sustainable and […]
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Are you polluting your office air?
A team of engineers at Purdue University has been conducting an experiment to identify indoor air contaminants and ways to control them. The study involves thousands of sensors being installed in an office space called the Living Labs, at Purdue’s Ray W. Herrick Laboratories. It uses an array of sensors to precisely monitor four open-plan […]
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A halfway solution for NSW?
The NSW government has taken the next step on the road to professional registration of engineers and other building practitioners – but the draft bill has already raised concerns. The draft of the Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2019 aims to deliver on the reforms committed to by the government response to the Building Confidence […]
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HVAC&R defies small business slowdown
A new report has found that Australian small businesses are in economic decline across all sectors – except for HVAC&R and plumbing. The findings are based on a comprehensive data review of the invoiced dollar amounts from over 29,600 Australia-based Invoice2go users over consecutive financial years (FY 2018 and FY 2019). This shows that businesses […]
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Cool Coalition pushes for efficient cooling
Partners of the Cool Coalition have announced a major push for efficient, climate-friendly cooling. The Cool Coalition is a global initiative that aims to inspire ambition and accelerate the move to clean and efficient cooling. It is made up of more than 80 partners, including partners from the private sector, government, cities, international organisations, finance, […]
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NSW takes first step towards registration
The NSW government has released draft regulations to introduce registration for building and development certifiers. The move comes one month after Victoria passed legislation for compulsory registration of engineers, and follows the recommendations of the Building Confidence implementation plan. Engineers Australia has criticised what it perceives as the excessively narrow focus of the regulation. “The […]
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Finalists named for 2019 AIRAH Awards
After considerable deliberation from the judging panel, the finalists of the AIRAH Awards 2019 have been selected. The high standard of nominations presented the judges with the difficult task of selecting the best of the best – the finalists – for the AIRAH Awards 2019. “The projects and individuals selected as finalists for the AIRAH […]
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Time to talk about embodied emissions
A new report from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has called for a bold new vision to transform the buildings and construction sector from a major cause of the climate emergency into a major solution. Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront shows that buildings are responsible for 39 per cent of global carbon emissions. Reducing the […]
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Survey on Performance Solutions
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Office has released an online survey regarding the inclusion of mandatory requirements in the National Construction code (NCC) for the development of Performance Solutions. Performance Solutions are one method that can be used to show compliance with the requirements of the NCC. They can be developed for areas such […]
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ARBS 2020 set to break records
ARBS 2020, slated for May 19–21 in Melbourne next year, is already on track to equal the exhibitor attendance for Sydney in 2018. Due to the response from exhibitors, the allocated exhibition floor area has been extended by 1,500m2 to 18,000m2, a new record for Melbourne. Organisers say the unprecedented demand for space has come […]
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2020 South Pacific Passive House Conference
The 2020 South Pacific Passive House Conference is slated for May 28–31 in Sydney next year. Co-hosted by the Australian Passive House Association (APHA) and the Passive House Institute of New Zealand (PHINZ), the event will take place at the Roundhouse at the University of New South Wales’ (UNSW) campus in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. “We […]
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Concerns over cold-housing deaths
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 […]
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Evans to lead Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia has announced Dr Bronwyn Evans as its new Chief Executive Officer. Evans arrives at Engineers Australia with extensive experience in corporate and not-for-profit leadership roles, here and abroad. These include CEO of Standards Australia, senior executive roles at Cochlear Ltd and GE Healthcare, as well as non-executive board experience in the construction, medical […]
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The Chill Challenge
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 […]