Around the Nation

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1 DUCTWORK DOCTORS

Clean-Air Aust has completed a project to seal leaks in the air conditioning ductwork at a Queensland Health Hospital. The hospital system consisted of four AHUs supplying air (11,700L/s) to ground and first floor areas including oral health, cancer care, procedure rooms, administration and critical storage. “Our aim was to circumvent any disruption to critical services being provided to patients by using Aeroseal technology to seal the ductwork from the inside,” says Project Manager Muni Kumar, “with a target to achieve a 40 per cent reduction of air loss in the system.” Before that work could start, however, Aeroseal needed Australian-recognised fire safety certification. Clean-Air duly carried out testing of the product and passed certification for smoke generation in accordance with AS/NZS 1530.3:1999.

The project took less than three weeks to complete, and avoided a teardown of the whole HVAC system. According to the project team, before using Aeroseal, leakage rates were 4,091L/s. Afterwards they were just 263L/s, meaning that overall duct leakage had been reduced by 90 per cent. They say that the facility can now run its HVAC system at a fraction of the power that was previously needed, saving substantially on its energy costs. Go to aerosealductsealing.com.au ■

2 BUILDTUFF CLOSING THE LOOP

BuildTuff, a new market supplier for equipment bases, and Polybender pair coil copper bender have become sister companies to Resitech, the country’s largest recycler of post-industrial waste. Resitech specialises in providing recycling solutions to the plastics industry via waste collection. In partnership with Buildtuff, it is aiming to create a safe and reliable supply partner to wholesalers and tradespeople. It also hopes to address some of the current supply chain issues. “I believe this creates supply sovereignty via our vertically integrated closed-loop recycling program, safeguarding Australian jobs and re-shoring manufacturing from China,” says BuildTuff General Manager Alan Brady. “This enables us to further strengthen our product development and commercialisation capabilities for our major retail partners.” The federal government has a focus on recycling, and has indicated that it will be investing in this area. “It’s an initiative we couldn’t be more excited about as we continue to work towards a circular economy by 2025,” says Brady. Go to buildtuff.com.au ■

3 GROWTH PACKAGES UP FOR GRABS

Field service software specialist simPRO has launched a competition with two $20,000 business growth packages up for grabs. Along with PROTRADE and Your Marketing Machines, simPRO will reward two winners with an “Ultimate Growth Toolkit” which includes a leadership mastery course, a customised marketing plan, a digital advertising package and free simPRO software and training valued at $20,000. The promotion is open to Australian business owners in the trade services industry and runs until June 30.

To enter, business owners must fill out an entry form and include a narrative of 50 words or less about their biggest business pain points. They must also sign up for a simPRO demo and receive a customised quote. “At simPRO, we are committed to helping our customers and potential customers to build and scale their businesses.” says Marketing Manager for Australia Paul Buckwell.

“Since many of our customers don’t have dedicated strategic advisors focused on the full life-cycle of their business and marketing plans, they are unsure if what they are doing is actually working. We are excited to award this prize package to help them figure that out and give them a customised plan designed to help their businesses grow and thrive.” Go to www.simprogroup.com/business-toolkit ■

4 VALE WARWICK STANNUS

Long-time industry stalwart Warwick Stannus, M.AIRAH, passed away on Sunday, April 24. Boasting a strong background in both consulting and contracting in the HVAC&R industry, Stannus is recognised for his work in developing industry standards and his 19-year career at A.G. Coombs. He started working at A.G. Coombs in 2003 in the newly created role of Group Engineering Manager, and was instrumental in the development of Independent Commissioning Agent services in many early Green Star projects in Australia. He was a driving force behind A.G. Coombs’ work in large-scale offsite prefabrication of building services. Stannus was also a primary instigator of the world-leading BIM-MEPAUS initiative, which has digitised the design and delivery of building services in Australia. He has been recognised for his work over many years in developing innovative industry practices, and was a frequent contributor to industry journals and magazines. In 2021, Stannus was awarded the Air conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association’s (AMCA) Distinguished Service Award. As a committed individual who shared ideas and drove industry development, he will be sorely missed within the industry. ■

5 LOOKING TO THE STARS

There is still no word on whether the National Construction Code 2022 will raise the minimum energy efficiency standard for new homes from 6 to 7 NatHERS stars.

An NCC 2022 preview was released in May, but it did not include energy efficiency and condensation management provisions. These are expected to be previewed in August, before the NCC 2022 comes into effect in September. State, territory and federal building ministers are due to meet in July to discuss the changes. And industry bodies are calling for a commitment to higher standards. “Australian home energy efficiency currently lags behind international best practice, and it rates among the world’s worst performing developed countries,” says Climateworks. “This means Australians are missing out on safer, more comfortable homes made possible through better insulation and more efficient heating and cooling.” The potential savings of more efficient homes have also been highlighted in a Climate Council report. It found that living in a 7 star, all-electric house in any capital city in Australia would save occupants on average $450 per year on heating and cooling costs compared to the current building standard of 6 stars. Go to: bit.ly/3LvsSuO ■

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6 FUJITSU FLYING HIGH

Fujitsu General Australia has come on board as the inaugural co-major partner of the Essendon AFLW team.

This extends the company’s partnership with Essendon Football Club. Last year, Fujitsu General Australia renewed its agreement as co-major partner of the AFL program for an additional four years, which will take the partnership to 12 years. Essendon Football Club CEO Xavier Campbell says the club is delighted with the new deal. “We are incredibly proud of the strong partnership between the Essendon Football Club and Fujitsu General Australia, and our further strengthening of ties to extend to our incoming AFLW program is another example of that,” Campbell says. “Signing Fujitsu General Australia is a wonderful progression for our club’s women’s program and to partner with an organisation that shares our vision to support and promote grassroots, community and female football programs is significant. “There is no doubt we are entering a momentous period as our club becomes truly whole with the upcoming inception of our national women’s team, and we thank managing director Philip Perham and his team at Fujitsu General Australia for their continued support of the Essendon Football Club.” Go to www.fujitsugeneral.com.au ■

7 FOCUS ON COMMISSIONING

There’s a new industry association in town, and its focus is commissioning. The Testing and Commissioning Association (TACA) began when a group of building commissioning organisations saw a lack of ongoing professional development and local support for the Australian and Asia-Pacific commissioning industry. TACA President Chris Wright, M.AIRAH, says it’s been an extremely hectic start since launching in November 2021. “It’s taken a lot of volunteer hours to establish a suitable model for trainees, technicians, supervisors, companies and affiliates,” he says. “TACA’s vision is to be able to work with [industry] to provide a quality accreditation model and associated training for those involved in engineering, installation and commissioning of HVAC&R systems.” TACA is working with allied industry bodies, including AIRAH and AMCA Australia, to grow its membership and become the foremost local standard for the building commissioning industry. With a heavy emphasis on providing consistent up-to-date benchmarking and training, TACA also sees a future in building pressure testing, clean room and fume hood accreditation.

“I urge everyone in the HVAC&R space to get on board and support a quality accreditation scheme that meets the needs of consulting engineers, facility managers, building owners and tenants,” Wright says. ■

8 AUNTY CELEBRATES GODFATHER OF REFRIGERATION

Australian refrigeration pioneer James Harrison has featured in an episode of ABC rural affairs program Landline. Ahead of the Scotland-born innovator’s birthday on April 17, the program charted Harrison’s exploits in creating an ice machine in his adopted Victorian home of Geelong in the mid-1800s. Landline also explored reasons for Harrison’s lack of renown given the enormity of his achievements, and efforts by science, history and refrigeration buffs to establish a museum in his honour.

“There’s not much to see – a tangle of scrub at the base of a rock-strewn slope – but Rocky Point in Geelong is a site of world significance,” said Landline journalist Tim Lee. “There was once a cave here, filled in long ago by authorities who deemed it unsafe, and a large shed that drew in water from the Barwon River and converted it into ice. A modest plaque on a boulder scarcely does justice to its importance. It was here in 1854 that inventor, journalist, and newspaper proprietor James Harrison had his eureka moment — successfully trapping escaping gas and using it as a refrigerant.” Go to: ab.co/3Mwl9Oh ■

9 VENTILATION UPGRADES FOR

SCHOOLS

Automatic fresh air ventilation systems will be rolled out to more than 10,000 public school classrooms in New South Wales to bolster protection against COVID-19. With winter approaching, caseloads are expected to increase. Considering that in Australia, 2022 has already seen more than double the number of COVID-related deaths in 2020 and 2021 combined – and that airborne transmission is now recognised as the most common pathway for COVID-19 – improving ventilation is high on the agenda. The 10,000 classrooms newly identified to receive automatic fresh air ventilation build on the 2,000 classrooms announced last year. The program is supporting permanent upgrades to windows, ceiling and exhaust fans, additional servicing of ventilation systems, procurement of 19,000 air purifiers, and the ongoing installation of automatic fresh air ventilation systems. In addition to the Air Quality Assurance Program, permanent fresh air ventilation systems are also being progressively installed in thousands of classrooms as part of the NSW government’s $500 million Cooler Classrooms program. ■

10 FITTINGS FIRST WITH CONEX BÄNNINGER

Conex Bänninger has launched a new website to share its expertise in HVAC&R and plumbing fittings. “Conex Bänninger has a 110-year history of delivering innovative and highly versatile fittings for the plumbing, HVAC and refrigeration sectors globally,” says the company. “The new digital hub has utilised this knowledge and expertise to give customers access to resources that support them through every stage of their work.” Conex Bänninger specification and technical manager Steven Lowry says: “We’re excited to launch a website that was designed in consultation with a broad crosssection of customers, with purpose-built features that will support them to get the job done quicker.” The new website includes a product selector, FAQs, and a central hub to download certificates, RFAs, specification sheets, technical guides, and case studies. Go to conexbanninger.com.au ■