Page 34 - Climate Control News Oct-Nov 2020

LEFT: Topics covered at the event ranged from thermal breaks to above-sheathing ventilation andcondensationrisksinfl me-zoneroofs.
REDUCING EMISSIONS
More energy efficient buildings could deliver more than a quarter of Australia’s emissions reduction target and save $20 billion in energy bills for businesses and households, according to a report commissioned by the Federal Government.
Recognising this potential, the Australian Government has announced funding to increase the energy productivity of buildings.
The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) welcomed the announcement from the Australian Government which outlines funding and an expanded mandate for the Australian Renewable Energy Authority (ARENA), and a package of measures to facilitate improved energy efficiency for residential and commercial buildings.
“More energy efficient buildings provide a win-win-win opportunity in terms of jobs, energy savings and emission reduction,” said ASBEC’s President, Professor Ken Maher AO.
“While Australia’s foremost developers are leading globally in terms of sustainability, our broader building sector lags far behind, meaning we are not gaining the health, comfort, efficiency and environmental benefits that we could reasonably expect.”
Building physics
Australia laggards in thermal performance
AUSTRALIA IS LAGGING BEHIND THE REST OF THE DEVELOPED WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO SEALING, THERMAL PERFORMANCE AND CONTROL OF MOISTURE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
THAT WAS THE consensus at AIRAH’s Building Physics Virtual Forum last month.
The event also highlighted the need to make the most of local expertise
and to learn from experiences abroad.
More than 130 people from around Australia and the world connected to the virtual event, to watch presentations from 11 speakers, partici-
pate in Q&A sessions, and network.
AIRAH CEO, Tony Gleeson, said the Building
Physics Forum brings together professionals from diverse parts of the construction process who share a common passion for improving Aus- tralia’s buildings.
“They may be engineers, builders, researchers
or architects, but at this event they unite to form one eclectic and energetic community,” he said.
“This group is fascinated with why things hap- pen and how to make them better, all while hav- ing a little fun.”
This year’s keynote speaker was world-renowned indoor air quality (IAQ) expert Max Sherman, a re- tired Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley Na- tional Laboratory and leader of the residential team of ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force.
In his presentation he shared experiences from the US of lifting building standards for air tight- ness and ventilation. He was blunt about the work that lies ahead for Australia, but also optimistic.
“Getting from low-performing homes to high- performing homes is a process,” Sherman said.
“The Europeans have been ahead of the US in many ways, and the US may be ahead of Austral- ia in many ways.
“There are plenty of pitfalls on the path, but Australia can benefit from the mistakes others have made. And in the end it’ll be okay.”
Sean Maxwell, hosted the event and sat on the technical organising commit- tee. He said Sherman pinpointed where we are – and where we need to get to.
“It took building physics, codes and policies, and boiled them down to basic steps that our in- dustries can take to get on the road from ‘good’ to ‘better’ healthy and efficient buildings,” Max- well said.
During the day, other experts focused on spe- cific building physics challenges and solutions. This included thermal breaks, negative pressure in buildings, above-sheathing ventilation and condensation risks in flame-zone roofs.
Another forum participant, Ania Hampton, said that some of the practical solutions have al- ready proven useful. And she agreed that the event provided a clear view of the road ahead.
“The construction industry has a lot of catch- ing up to do,” Hampton said.
“We are only just starting to listen to the experts and accept condensation and thermal breaks as real-world issues that need to be dealt with.
“We’ve become rather compla- cent, thinking we’ve been design- ing thermally efficient and healthy buildings, but we have a way to go. The devil is in the detail.” ✺
LEFT: AIRAH CEO, Tony Gleeson
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