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As parts of the world experienced record downpours, the Arctic ice continued its seemingly inexorable retreat.

District heating and cooling could offer an important pathway to decarbonisation – and one of the biggest barriers to its uptake might simply be our mindset, writes Mark Vender.

Our review of industry remuneration has revealed some intriguing narratives.

The GBCA has issued some practical advice about electrification of the existing building stock, writes Rachel Urquhart.

We wish to make a correction and clarification regarding the “Arch of triumph” article that featured in August‑September Ecolibrium.

After more than a year of supply-chain challenges, Reliable Controls has released an updated version of its popular MACH-ProView LCD controller.

GJ Walker announces new industrial fan division as Walker Industrial Systems (WIS)

The major changes are the lifting of the minimum energy efficiency requirements for new homes from 6 to 7 NatHERS stars, and a new annual energy-use budget applicable to major appliances such as space conditioning, hot water, lighting, pool and spa pumps, offset by any onsite renewable energy generation.

Congrats to Gwen Gray, AIRAH’s first female member when she joined and now a posthumous member of the ARBS Hall of Fame.

Ecolibrium shoots the breeze with the Newcastle-based CTO of Airconnect about life after CSIRO.

Mitsubishi Electric Australia has launched its newest mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system, designed to recover heat from the air inside a home and transfer it to fresh, dry air introduced from outside.

Using a hybrid of dynamic thermal simulation and detailed hourly spreadsheet calculations, the analysis identified design and operation strategies to size PV and batteries for various degrees of grid independence.

As we face the unknown financial road ahead, it’s useful to people reflect on the most recent major economic downturn, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of more than a decade ago. Officially spanning form late 2007 to mid-2009, it took several more years for employment and the economy to stabilise to previous levels. It is important for us to look at the business successes and failures from this challenging time, and to learn from them.

Alan Obrart, L.AIRAH, wonders why the bottom line is so thin for those HVAC businesses that detect and fix difficult-to-resolve problems in buildings. He has a theory. 

Located in South Korea’s capital, the HQ for a luxe fashion brand boasts several sustainability initiatives, including a high-performance façade.

The Australian building industry is on the path to electrification, signalling an end to a reliance on natural gas for hot water, heating and cooking. Sean McGowan explores how this path is being forged with Bruce Precious M.AIRAH, principal consultant at Six Capitals Consulting; Yale Carden, M.AIRAH, founder and managing director at GeoExchange Australia; VA Sciences’ James Moyes and Simon Witts, M.AIRAH; and RMIT industry fellow Alan Pears. 

As part of the i-Hub project, masters-level architectural and engineering students from the University of Melbourne, industry consultants, university academics, and Ambulance Victoria staff embraced the challenge of designing net zero emergency response stations. The university’s Brendon McNiven; Lu Aye, F.AIRAH; and Dominik Holzer discuss

It is undoubtedly a time of change – socially, politically, environmentally and for many, personally. The same can be said for the mechanical services consulting landscape following the mergers of local and international firms.

Get set for a full-day virtual event on September 8 highlighting the most significant trends in our industry: the Future of HVAC.

Sixty-year AIRAH member Warwick Geering, M.AIRAH, was dedicated to the art and science of HVAC&R.