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  • Electrifying the harbour city 

    Muhammad Ali from energy consultancy Arcadis Australia Pacific explains how Sydney could soon generate 75% of its energy needs from local renewable sources.

  • Waterfall image

    Could H2O be the go?

    Dave Peall, M.AIRAH, discusses his work on the “radical” idea of using water as a direct expansion refrigerant.

  • AS 1668.2 superhero

    Celebrating AS 1668.2, Australia’s misunderstood ventilation hero 

    Sonia Holzheimer, M.AIRAH, reflects on the good, the bad, and the ugly misunderstood aspects of AS 1668.2.

  • HVAC commissioning often often falls through the cracks, negatively affecting system performance- image DC Studio

    The big issues in HVAC commissioning

    AIRAH’s Commissioning Special Technical Group (STG) discusses two common issues in HVAC commissioning: communication struggles and a lack of formal documentation.

  • The spring issue of Ecolibrium has arrived!

    AIRAH members will soon receive their print copy of Ecolibrium spring 2025.

  • IMG_3169

    HVAC in the outback

    A program in South Australia’s APY Lands is retrofitting housing to study how homes can withstand one of the world’s harshest climates.

  • Terms of engagement

    Meet AIRAH’s new Engagement Officer, Finley Reid.

  • Meet this cool new (meta)film star

    Ecolibrium speaks to Yangzhe Hou, part of a research team that recently developed a bioplastic metafilm with fascinating cooling properties.

  • Success by degrees

    In Australia, we lament the lack of engineering degrees that incorporate HVAC&R and building services. Dr Badr Abdullah, Programme Leader of Building Services and Architectural Engineering at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, tells us how they developed a successful, specialised building services engineering degree.

  • Copper cable close-up (credit Calitore)

    Down to the wire

    With a global shortage of copper looming, could aluminium cable be a safe and cost-effective substitute for low voltage underground power supply? Lasath Lecamwasam and Martin Lynch investigate.

  • Mould

    Breaking the mould 

    When Dr Mali Rezaei moved into a one-bedroom rental in Melbourne’s southeast in 2021, she had no idea how severely her life would be affected by mould.

  • Commission possible

    Commission possible 

    William Lane, F.AIRAH, makes the case for how formal accreditation could improve commissioning practices across Australia’s HVAC and building services sectors. 

  • HI-RES-roundtable-from-HVAC24

    Perspectives on gender diversity in HVAC&R 

    HVAC&R professionals Sonia Holzheimer, M.AIRAH, Taylor Burdett, and Claudia Yuan, Stud.AIRAH, share their experiences of the industry, the barriers to entry, and where they see the future for women in HVAC&R.

  • VEU to provide insulation rebates

    The Victorian government has announced that it will subsidise residential ceiling insulation through the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program from 2026.

  • ASBEC releases embodied carbon roadmap 

    The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) has released a policy roadmap to reduce upfront embodied carbon in the built environment.

  • The importance of safe air at events

    Amy Lewis from the Safer Air Project introduces a toolkit for making events safe, accessible, and inclusive for those at risk from poor IAQ.

  • A diverse workforce boosts your business

    Donald Trump started his second presidency by ordering the US government to wind back or abolish diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, and some major companies followed suit.

  • trumps shadow

    Shadow of doubt 

    Donald Trump’s return to office has had a seismic effect on global markets and muddied the pathway to net zero emissions. Will the Australian HVAC&R industry feel the aftershocks?

  • Mesmerizing view of fresh green fields under a cloudy sky

    Why does hot air rise? 

    We’ve all heard the saying “hot air rises”. Daniel Bonatti, M.AIRAH, explains why this phenomenon occurs, how our understanding has evolved over time, and what it means for practical applications in building design.

  • Slow response to new filter standards 

    An important changeover of filter standards is underway in Australia, but industry has so far been slow to move.