HVAC  EFFICIENCY  RATINGS  IN  AUSTRALIA  The  latest  post  from  Jeremy  Bednarsh:  

 Australia  is  the  first  country  to  introduce  energy  efficiency  ratings  for  heating,  ventilation,  and  air  conditioning  (HVAC)  units.  Sustainability  Victoria  is  overseeing  the  development  of  the  ranking  systems  for  energy  efficiency.  The  rating  tool  that  they  are  developing  will  use  quantitative  and  qualitative  data  assessing  design,  the  installation  and  operational  phases,  and  the  performance  of  the  various  units.  

Hopefully  the  outcome  of  this  ranking  system  will  encourage  manufacturers  to  strive  to  offer  the  best  practice  products  on  the  market.    While  Sustainability  Victoria  is  overseeing  the  project,  there  are  other  major  players  involved  in  the  development  of  the  standards.  The  Australian  Institute  of  Refrigeration,  Air-­‐conditioning,  and  Heating  (AIRAH),  the  Property  Council  of  Australia,  the  Facilities  Management  Association  of  Australia,  and  the  Air-­‐conditioning  and  Mechanical  Contractors  Association  are  the  industrial  leaders  that  are  helping  to  develop  standards  for  energy  efficiency.    The  resulting  HVAC  criteria  will  hopefully  put  pressure  on  companies  to  improve  the  efficiency  on  their  products,  resulting  in  greater  efficiency  and  sustainability  in  facilities  throughout  the  country.  Amazingly,  HVAC  systems  make  up  half  of  the  energy  usage/consumption  in  buildings  and  also  account  for  over  fifty  percent  of  potential  improvement  in  energy  efficiency.  The  standards  that  are  being  put  together  will  result  in  an  online  tool  that  will  be  easy  to  access.  This  ‘Calculating  Cool  HVAC  Tool’  will  be  used  for  data  collection,  long-­‐term  monitoring,  and  comparative  analysis.    Australia  is  the  first  in  the  world  to  creative  energy  ratings  criteria  specifically  for  HVAC  systems.  Hopefully,  other  countries  will  take  notice  and  adopt  the  ratings  system  or  develop  one  of  their  own.  The  Australia  system  will  be  compatible  with  the  NABERS  and  Green  Star  Design  suite  of  rating  tools.  The  new  HVAC  rating  system  is  currently  still  in  development,  but  should  have  a  public  review  by  the  end  of  2014.      Jeremy  Bednarsh  currently  resides  in  San  Diego,  CA,  where  he  has  worked  as  an  HVAC  technician  for  10  years.  He  works  mostly  on  commercial  buildings,  and  some  of  his  specialties  include  building  management  systems,  VFDs,  large  electrical  motors,  VAVs,  

large  packing  units,  split  systems,  refrigeration,  electrical,  gas  furnaces,  boilers,  cooling  towers,  DDC,  and  water  source  heat  pumps.  Jeremy  is  also  a  proficient  in  electrical  work,  mechanical  work,  and  wood  building.  He  loves  travel,  music,  fitness,  cars,  and  pitbulls.