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March 27, 2013: Concerned about the increased use of flammable refrigerants as a result of carbon pricing, 10 industry groups have come together seeking an urgent summit at Parliament House to address safety issues, especially around the use of hydrocarbons. Airconditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association (AREMA) President, and VASA Vice President, Mark Padwick and … Continue reading Parliamentary summit to address refrigerant safety

Bookings are now open for Wire & Gas 2013, with the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa and Australia’s newest air conditioning training facility, SuperCool, confirmed as venues. This year’s ‘must do’ training will be provided by VASA favourites Jack Stepanian, Geoff Mutton and Grant Hand. Tickets for members and their employees are $450 per … Continue reading Register now for Wire & Gas 2013

FRANKFURT, Feb 14 (Reuters) – A key German government body said on Thursday it has proposed Brussels grant luxury automaker Daimler until the end of 2015 to meet new European Union laws mandating the use of climate-friendly air conditioning refrigerants in cars. In a bid to broker a dispute between Daimler on the one side, … Continue reading German environment agency urges compromise in Daimler-EU spat

The Gold Coast will replace Singapore as the destination for this year’s Wire & Gas convention. The VASA Board of Directors reluctantly made this decision after some intense number crunching, which showed that Singapore would be too expensive for members as well as VASA’s bank balance. “In hindsight, Singapore, although a great destination, may have … Continue reading Wire & Gas 2013: Singapore out, Gold Coast in

Feb 12, 2013: An SAE International Cooperative Research Program reported progress in expanding its evaluation of HFO-1234yf, stating that their “high level of confidence that R1234yf can be used safely in automotive applications continues to grow.” An earlier Cooperative Research Program was completed in 2009 and concluded that HFO-1234yf is a safe and acceptable alternative … Continue reading SAE International technical group’s confidence in HFO 1234yf grows

Daimler is looking increasingly isolated in its refusal to use HFO R1234yf in its new cars, following news that other car makers have found no new safety risks. The owner of Mercedes now faces the threat of heavy fines for flouting the Mobile Air Conditioning Directive, which banned refrigerants with a GWP of over 150 … Continue reading Pressure builds on Daimler to fall into line with R1234yf

The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has placed advertorials in most national daily newspapers as part of its summer air conditioning awareness campaign. This includes the Herald Sun, Courier Mail, Daily Telegraph, The West Australian and The Adelaide Advertiser/Trader. The advertorial outlines what to look for when choosing an air conditioner for your home or car, … Continue reading ARC launches summer air-con awareness campaign

AAP (January 13 2013): The EU cautioned German auto giant Daimler it must upgrade the air conditioning coolant used in its new models to meet greenhouse gas emission targets if they are to be cleared for sale. “If Daimler does not meet this requirement, its new models cannot be approved,” the office of European Union … Continue reading EU raps Daimler over new coolant rules

An air-conditioning refrigerant that has been criticised as potentially unsafe to car passengers is actually safe to use, according to preliminary results released by an influential automotive engineering association in December. The coolant, known as HFO-1234yf, has been at the center of a heated dispute between German carmaker Daimler AG and U.S. conglomerate Honeywell International … Continue reading Honeywell, Dupont auto coolant safe to use: engineering group

The increased price of refrigerants due to the Carbon Tax could be putting lives at risk, according to the Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage, Hon Greg Hunt MP. The refrigerant industry has warned that the higher prices of traditional refrigerants, which have increased by up to 400 per cent due to the … Continue reading ‘Lives at risk’ over carbon tax warns Shadow Minister