A new course has become available for HVAC&R technicians who are maintaining or signing off mechanical services for Annual Fire Safety Statements (AFSS). The course has been approved by the NSW Department of Customer Service under the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS). It will allow Certificate III-qualified professionals to conduct annual certification of essential fire […]
The NSW government has introduced a bill that enshrines in law the state’s emissions reduction targets – and that establishes an independent Net Zero Commission to help hit those targets. Titled the Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Bill 2023, it supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2030, […]
The ACT government has confirmed that its scheme for professional registration of engineers will begin on March 6, 2024. The scheme is underpinned by the Professional Engineers Act 2023, passed in March this year. There will be a phased approach for different areas of engineering: civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and fire safety. The government says […]
The European Parliament and Council has taken the next – and what appears to be decisive – step towards a new and ambitious phase-out schedule for HFC refrigerants. The deal includes specific phase-out dates for the use of fluorinated gases in sectors where it is “technologically and economically feasible to switch to alternatives”. This includes […]
It may have taken some time since the recommendations originally appeared at the top of the priority list in the 2018 Building Confidence report, but professional registration schemes are now spreading quickly across the country, and establishing new rules to lift standards in Australia’s building and construction industry. Practice Standard in New South Wales This […]
The Victorian government has added major momentum to the electrification movement with the announcement that it is banning gas connections to new homes from next year. New homes and residential subdivisions that require a planning permit cannot connect to the gas network from January 2024. This will apply to new planning permit applications submitted from […]
Queensland has confirmed that it will maintain the original timetable for adopting improved energy efficiency, condensation management and livable housing provisions in NCC 2022. Although industry stakeholders have applauded the decision, they have also raised concerns about delays in other jurisdictions, and the inconsistent implementation of what is intended to be a national code to […]
The federal government has confirmed that it will develop decarbonisation plans for different sectors – including a specific plan for the built environment. In its issues paper on setting, tracking and achieving Australia’s emissions reduction targets, the Climate Change Authority proposed focusing on sectors as set out in Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: electricity, stationary […]
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an HFC reduction of 40 per cent below historic levels from 2024 through 2028. The rule aligns with the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act’s goals to reduce the production and consumption of HFCs by 85 per cent by 2036. The US began its phase-down on […]
The NSW government has shared an advance copy of the fire safety schedule template, due to start on August 1, 2023. The new schedule is one of a raft of reforms that respond to recommendations in the report on improving fire safety in new and existing buildings, developed by the Office of the Building Commissioner. […]