Transition to a low-emission future

The HVAC&R industry is often described as a notoriously fragmented - and sometimes invisible or overlooked - industry. However, recent developments such as the carbon-equivalent levy and the ever-increasing need to lower emissions have forced the industry to pull together and find its voice. This voice has taken the form of the proposed PRIME Roadmap for HVAC&R, a document that, although still in its early stages, is slated to act as a guide for those who influence the future of HVAC&R - meaning everyone from ‘the man in the van’ to top consulting firms.

The proposed PRIME Roadmap for HVAC&R was released earlier this year, during the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) Industry Summit 2013. Compiled by those in the industry for those in the industry, PRIME sets out the main priorities that need to be addressed in order to lower emissions caused by the HVAC&R industry.

In the lead-up to the AIRAH Industry Summit 2013, AIRAH, with the assistance of many of the stakeholders who attended, developed a 150-page draft discussion paper. It was from this discussion paper, says AIRAH CEO Phil Wilkinson, M AIRAH, that a far more important document emerged: that of the proposed PRIME Roadmap for HVAC&R.

“PRIME represents the five pathways to transition to a low-emission future for our industry,” Wilkinson says. “All proposed solutions from the discussion paper have been divided into five categories: Professionalism, Regulation, Information, Measurement, and Emission abatement.” Wilkinson agrees that in many ways, the HVAC&R industry is still fragmented, a fact that makes progress towards lower emissions much more challenging. In order to overcome this challenge, the industry needs a strategy - which is where PRIME comes in.

“The purpose of PRIME isn’t to immediately solve all of the issues faced by the industry or to mandate the essential steps that the industry must take to be environmentally and commercially effective,” says Wilkinson. “It isn’t that simple. But there is a need for a common voice, an agreed direction and a set of agreed pathways - all of which the draft road map represents.”

The HVAC&R sector is both a significant consumer of energy and contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. An estimated 24% of Australia’s emissions are directly attributable to the built environment. Of that 24%, HVAC&R services are significant consumers - to the order of 30 to 50%. On top of that, 3-5% of Australian emissions are directly attributable to the refrigeration cold chain; and 1-3% of Australian direct emissions are attributable to refrigerant leakage.

Wilkinson says that with these figures in mind, it’s clear that the HVAC&R industry needs to make this transition to low-emission practices and technologies. “Governments are demanding it, the environment needs it, and society is expecting it,” says Wilkinson.

The PRIME Roadmap offers a clear and detailed way forward, with executable actions that will lead to lower emissions and a more skilled industry, Wilkinson says. Within the five categories that make up the letters of PRIME, individual actions are ranked by priority and potential for reducing emissions.

Under the ‘Professionalism’ category, PRIME earmarks actions such as the formation of a unified “umbrella group” of industry representatives, as well as the need to invest in group training schemes and more apprenticeships. The ‘Regulation’ category covers actions such as logbook programs and shared intellectual property (IP), as well as mandatory coefficient of performances (CoPs), among others.

‘Information’ recommends producing a “low-emission HVAC&R street directory” or IP repository, making all validated energy-efficiency information available in the one place. It also covers the need to increase awareness of life-cycle costing and the total-system design approach, as well as recommending training for architects and the development of ammonia-use fact sheets.

PRIME’s ‘Measurement’ category covers benchmarking and rating tools, maintenance records, design standards, and the validation of product claims, among others. Finally, the ‘Emissions Abatement’ section looks at best-practice installation, codes and standards, leakage issues and the whole gamut of how emissions could be scaled down.

But pulling such a comprehensive document together wasn’t easy. In the lead-up to the summit, AIRAH asked industry stakeholders to comment on the industry issues raised in the draft discussion paper created earlier in the year, and to focus on potential solutions. “From there, these solutions were then allocated into the five PRIME subject areas,” says Wilkinson. “They were further divided by priority, complexity, potential for emission reduction, and resources that might be contributed.

“The development of the proposed PRIME Roadmap brought the HVAC&R industry together, and now there is a groundswell of support for the pillars underpinning it,” Wilkinson says. “Our vision is for a highly skilled and professional Australian HVAC&R industry that is safe, cost effective and environmentally effective.”

Wilkinson says consolidating a multitude of viewpoints and bringing the industry together to discuss it represents a formidable task. “The need to transition to low-emission HVAC&R has become self-evident,” Wilkinson says. “But it’s no longer a question of ‘why’ - the focus is now on the ‘how’ and ‘what’ of low emissions, which is what produced the PRIME Roadmap.” For now, the proposed PRIME Roadmap for HVAC&R is continuing to be refined, with issues such as trends, resourcing and timescales still being considered by stakeholders and industry representatives.

AIRAH board director Bryon Price, M AIRAH, oversaw the development of the road map, alongside other key stakeholders and contributors. “Our industry has influence and control over a significant component of mankind’s impact on the Earth via emissions and carbon usage,” Price says.

“We have the responsibility and capacity to do something about this. But we also have the responsibility to plan for an HVAC&R industry that is productive and prosperous. We think PRIME could be a pivotal component in accomplishing this.”