Up close THE BRIEFING
Insulation installation recommendation A new guideline lays out proper processes for correctly insulating buildings. A coalition of insulation, building and organisations focused on energy efficiency has released a joint Roadmap for quality control and safety in insulation installation. The roadmap sets out a series of actions to ensure that insulation is installed following bestpractice processes for quality control and safety. “Insulation is an essential component of a healthy, comfortable building,” the coalition says. “Adequate insulation can increase thermal comfort, lower heating and cooling bills, and reduce the prevalence of illness and death. Insulation needs to be properly installed in order to deliver its full value in both existing and new buildings. “The almost 40 organisations that developed and signed this roadmap are committed to working with governments to ensure that insulation is installed properly. The roadmap includes actions that industry commits to undertake, and recommendations for actions by
governments and other organisations.” The roadmap sets out actions that include: • Information and guidelines • Training and accreditation • Requirements for insulation installations supported by governments • Compliance associated with new buildings and major renovations • Moving beyond an insulation-only approach. The roadmap draws on the report Ensuring quality control and safety in insulation installation, which was written by the Energy Efficiency Council and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC). It was jointly funded by the governments of New South Wales and Victoria, Insulation Australasia, and the Insulation Council of Australian and New Zealand.
AIRAH releases DA04 and DA24 AIRAH has released two new and updated Design Application (DA) manuals for commissioning. The two manuals are DA04 Air System Balancing – in HVAC, and DA24 Hydronic System Balancing – in HVAC. “Anyone involved in air/water balancing or in HVAC&R system commissioning or recommissioning should keep copies of these manuals handy,” AIRAH says. The two DA manuals were designed for engineers, architects, contractors, equipment owners, operators, and specifiers. A new publication, DA04 covers the testing, adjusting and balancing of 16 J U N E –J U LY 2021 • ECO L I B R I U M
air distribution systems in HVAC&R applications. It has been prepared to provide both theoretical and practical knowledge. DA24 is an update and revision to the previous version of DA24, titled DA24 Water Systems Balancing. Promoting best practice for the balancing of hydronic systems in HVAC&R, DA24 recognises acceptable industry-standard techniques. Go to www.airah.org.au/DA_manuals ❚
Canberra-based Siti Mustaffa, Affil.AIRAH, is a mechanical engineer with BSE. What attracted you to HVAC&R? I was in my final year at university where air conditioning and refrigeration was offered as an elective. I really enjoyed the lecturer’s enthusiasm for thermodynamics, a previous subject. I wanted to relate what I had previously learnt in that course to real-world applications. It was in this final-year elective that I was introduced to HVAC processes, design principles, and the built environment.
Dream project I would love to work on a data centre with a projected PUE approaching 1.0. It would be intellectually stimulating and really challenge the design team to think outside the box and engineer innovative solutions. For something closer to my heart, I would also love to one day work on the design for an NICU or paediatric ward to ensure hospitalised babies and their families remain safe and comfortable during their stay in the hospital. I always try to keep the human element in mind in my work.
Challenges A challenging aspect of my role is to rectify issues that come up during construction. As designers, we always work to the best of our ability to provide the client and builder with a fully co-ordinated and federated design. Most changes are minor and quickly resolved. However, sometimes we do get larger problems that need more collaboration and tinkering. It is very rewarding when all parties work together and are able to resolve issues onsite. ❚
