THE current status of international negotiations are akin to the sagas that engulfed Top Gear: we can have a television show with drama, humour and great technology, or Jeremy Clarkson can have another brain freeze and the show can end in a dummy spit, a proverbial car wreck. The July Vienna negotiations on an HFC … Continue reading TOP GEAR GOES TO VIENNA
TAKING the initiative to create a roadshow of seminars designed to help businesses and technicians understand and prepare for low global warming potential refrigerants has attracted international interest for future:gas and the Australasian industry behind it. Representatives from global vehicle manufacturers attended some seminars and one even suggested the program be extended to Southeast Asia. … Continue reading LEADING THE WORLD
Talks start for real in Geneva after years of deadlock By Refrigerants Australia executive director Greg Picker, reporting from Switzerland Negotiations on an HFC phase-down began in Geneva in April this year. These talks are noteworthy because for the first time since the proposal to phase down HFCs was suggested in 2009, there was agreement … Continue reading HFC phase-down hope
An investigation into a fatal August 2012 hydrocarbon refrigerant blast in Singapore has concluded, with the employer of the killed worker and their two injured colleagues fined $S150,000 ($A146,200). In a cruel irony, the workers were called to the job because Singapore authorities had issued notice of their intention to ban the use of hydrocarbon … Continue reading $150K fine for deadly Singapore HC blast
Autodata has added a series of updates in recent months including a host of new models, extra vehicle data – including at least 36 new air-conditioning wiring diagrams – and a range of feature enhancements. During March, 24 new models were added – including the Renault Megane (08-16), Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (12-16), Kia Sorento (15-16) and … Continue reading Autodata adds more air-conditioning wiring diagrams
A new industrial coating has caught our attention with its potential application for compressor pulleys and other automotive air-conditioning components, claiming benefits such as improved performance, reduced fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs and greater durability. Dubbed Vulcan Grip and developed by US firm Extreme Industrial Coatings (EIC), the coating has been proven in heavy-duty agricultural … Continue reading Pulley coating promises efficiency
Australia’s federal government must consider emerging issues in Europe concerning refrigerant stockpiling and the need for accurate data as Australia moves towards an HFC phase-down. The government is expected to look to the EU as the model for fluorinated gas regulation aimed at dramatically reducing F-gas emissions – the target there being two thirds of … Continue reading Australia must learn from massive HFC stockpile prompted by EU F-Gas regulation
International study rates Australian stewardship Australia leads the world for refrigerant management but the UK has the highest refrigerant recovery rate, according to a research report published recently by the US Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Billed as the biggest attempt ever to determine the refrigerant ‘lay of the land’ on a global scale, … Continue reading Australia leads the world at refrigerant management
THE Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has hailed the Turnbull government’s announcement that it will proceed with the controversial ‘effects test’ and tackle the misuse of market power by big businesses as “a big win for small business”. ARC, which administers refrigerant handling licences and refrigerant trading authorisations on behalf of the federal government, described the … Continue reading ARC, VACC welcome effects test
The long-running campaign to force car manufacturers to share service and repair data with independent workshops is ramping up as the nation heads toward a federal election and as Australia’s competition regulator admits that the voluntary scheme appears to have been ineffective. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) commissioner Roger Featherston told the 2016 Australian … Continue reading ACCC weighs in on repair information sharing
