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In recent years, AIRAH’s Future of HVAC Conference has established itself as the leading event for identifying and exploring the emerging trends in the HVAC&R industry. This year the event will take place on September 12–13 at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium. Forty guest speakers have been announced, presenting topics ranging from carbon-neutral buildings and flammable refrigerants to […]
NSW Health has released the Legionella control regulation to protect the public from Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks caused by cooling towers. The new regulations have introduced significant changes to cooling tower systems management in NSW. Following two outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the Sydney central business district in March and May 2016, the Legionella Taskforce, headed […]
A report released on July 31 predicts that the toll from heatwave deaths could rise by up to 2,000 per cent in some parts of the world by 2080. It was published in the online journal PLOS Medicine, and is one of the most extensive studies that has been done in the area. The study […]
The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) has launched an Australian-first search engine for green buildings. “This new tool will allow people to find the best examples of sustainable buildings and green businesses in the country,” Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said. NABERS is a national program, administered by the NSW government, that measures the […]
Condair Group AG has acquired Aireven Pty Ltd in Australia, and from August 1 has changed its company name to Condair Pty Ltd. The acquisition of Aireven in Australia continues the strategic forward integration of Condair into promising geographic markets, as well as the global strengthening of its humidification and evaporative cooling business. Condair has […]
AIRAH has produced a video that celebrates and promotes the essential role played by the HVAC&R industry in the Australian economy and everyday life. AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson says that although it plays a pivotal role in contemporary life, the sector remains below the radar. “Despite employing 170,000 Australians in a range of occupations and being […]
On Friday, July 20, Australian steel manufacturer BlueScope signed a seven-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ESCO Pacific’s Finley Solar Farm. The deal was coordinated by Schneider Electric. The direct agreement will enable ESCO Pacific to start building the farm later this year. It will comprise 500,000 solar panels across a 300ha site located 100km […]
Resilient Sydney – a strategy document created by 33 Sydney metropolitan councils and the 100 Resilient Cities initiative – has stressed the importance of planning for climate change. The strategy document was released this week with the aim of strengthening the city’s ability to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of increasing global uncertainty […]
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has voted to increase the charge limits of flammable A3 hydrocarbon refrigerants, such as propane, in commercial refrigeration equipment. This is an interim vote, meaning that the change must still go through other steps before it is enacted as a global standard. If there are no obstacles that could happen […]
An inquest was held into how a man died during an ammonia explosion at the Carlsberg Brewery in Northampton, England. The coroner believed that David Chandler, 45, died almost instantly when an ammonia leak caused a dormant compressor to explode in his face. The unit had previously been disconnected, but during an attempt to move […]
Support for an annual World Refrigeration Day is growing, with June 26 mooted as the day to mark the industry’s contribution to the world economy and society. Stephen Gill, refrigerant consultant and President of the Institute of Refrigeration, hopes World Refrigeration Day will serve as a means of raising awareness of refrigeration and the role […]
Temperatures of over 43°C in Southern California and the associated increase in air conditioning demand has led to a series of blackouts across Los Angeles. And it may be a sign of things to come. Almost 100,000 customers in LA were left without power during a heatwave that set new records. According to the Los […]
Earlier this year, reports emerged of a “mysterious” rise in CFC-11 (trichlorofluoromethane) quantities in the atmosphere. This was surprising, because CFCs had been phased out by the Montreal Protocol due to their harmful effect on the ozone layer, and were thought to be virtually extinct. Now, a new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) […]
The Department of the Environment and Energy is holding an information session in Darwin on July 19 about the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down. The session will cover what it means for HFC users, including equipment owners and technicians. The session will also cover other changes to the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Program to reduce […]
Honeywell has announced a new non-flammable refrigerant called Solstice N41 for stationary air conditioning systems that it says could replace R410A, and could also potentially be a rival for R32. The HFC phase-down has prompted the search for alternatives to high global warming potential (GWP) gases such as R410A. At present, many original equipment manufacturers […]
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA), in partnership with Forrestfield-Airport Link, is holding a one-day conference on July 18 about sustainable infrastructure in Western Australia. The conference will feature innovations, inspiration and exemplar case studies of sustainable infrastructure, and will include a site tour of the progress of the Forrestfield-Airport Link tunnel, keynote speakers […]
Energy Rating are holding two public consultation meetings in July regarding proposed updates to liquid chiller policy. Melbourne: 19 July, 10am–12pm at the Waverley International Hotel, 301 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley Sydney: 20 July, 10am–12pm at Stamford Plaza, Sydney Airport RSVP required by Friday, 6 July. Energy Rating are also looking into the possibility of […]
Last month the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) unveiled an updated version of its building standard. Known as WELL v2, it is being rolled out globally in pilot form. “Since our launch in 2014, we’ve learned a lot from the thousands of WELL users, practitioners and researchers who have embraced WELL as a tool for […]
The NSW government has announced that it will allocate $500 million in the state budget for air conditioning. The new policy, called Cooler Classrooms, is intended to provide improved learning environments for classrooms and libraries in up to 1,000 schools. “This funding will ensure thousands of classrooms that previously did not have air conditioning will […]
Important changes to the registration system for household air conditioning units are set to take effect on June 30. Under the Electrical Equipment Safety System, all units must be declared with the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC) and documented to AS/NZS 60335.2.40 with registration before selling. The new rules state that for units that use […]