Fujitsu General Australia has announced the acquisition by parent company Fujitsu General Limited of Precise Air Group (Holding) Pty Limited (PAG), a leading Australian provider of HVAC, fire and bundled maintenance services. The move signals Fujitsu’s intention to expand its business from home air conditioning – where it is currently a market leader in Australia […]
The Australian Refrigeration Council’s (ARC) has appointed Michael Bennett as its new chairman. He replaces outgoing chairman Kevin O’Shea, who stepped down from the role after reaching the term limit under the ARC’s constitution. Bennett is moving from his long-held role as General Manager at Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA). Since RRA’s commencement in 1993, he has […]
The federal government will invest $60m to trial a wage subsidy as an incentive for employers in regional and rural communities to engage more apprentices. The Apprentice Wage Subsidy will see up to 1,630 new Australian apprentices in areas of skills needs – including refrigeration and air conditioning. The scheme is open to employers who […]
The HFC phase-down has seen increasing use of refrigerants with lower GWP but higher flammability such as R290 (propane) and R32. In turn, this has raised major concerns about the safe use of these gases. According to the Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA), recent workplace fire incidents involving flammable refrigerant gases have “directly contributed […]
The Better Building Partnership (BBP) has launched the Expand the Band campaign to revise outdated set-points and deadband temperatures in Australian office buildings. The campaign offers building owners a simple and extremely low-cost way of reducing energy costs and emissions. Currently, most commercial leases specify a set-point temperature of 22°C. This is based on 1950s […]
Team Desert Rose from the University of Wollongong has finished second in the Solar Decathlon Middle East. The competition saw 15 teams and 600 students from around the world battling for top honours at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, said to be the largest single-site solar project in the world. The challenge […]
Daikin has confirmed plans to purchase AHT Cooling Systems – a European manufacturer of plug-in refrigerator and freezer systems – for €881m (Au$1.38bn). AHT has its headquarters in Austria, as well as major facilities in China, the US and Brazil. It sells its products to 115 countries worldwide, and boasts a client list that includes […]
Conex Bänninger has appointed Nick Ryan, Affil.AIRAH, as Specification Manager for Australia and the South Pacific. Ryan has extensive experience within the HVAC&R sector, having worked for Conex Bänninger’s partner, the Reece Group, where he held positions in field marketing supporting key brands, business development and branch management. “I’m delighted to be joining the Australia […]
A new report produced by Energy Action and EnergyConsult for the City of Sydney has highlighted the benefits of expanding the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program to include tenancies. The CBD program is a national initiative that requires energy efficiency information to be provided when commercial office spaces of 1,000m2 or more are sold or […]
The Smart Buildings Summit is being held in Sydney from November 28–30. The event will examine smart buildings from the developer, tenant and user perspectives. More than 30 speakers will explore the latest trends, strategies and technologies that are transforming the use of space and workplace productivity. Developers will also discuss their latest smart building […]