Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration uses more than 24 per cent of the electricity generated in Australia and produces about 11.5 per cent of Australia’s national emissions. It is also a significant contributor to embodied emissions, which will become an even bigger issue than operational emissions over time. Building sustainability and addressing climate change cannot be done without looking at the sustainability of our HVAC&R sector. The two concepts are interlinked.
For this reason, sustainability is a key part of our mission: To create an Australian HVAC&R industry that is highly skilled and professional, safe, sustainable and environmentally effective.
As an individual organisation, AIRAH aims to lead by example in managing our environmental performance and disclosing the impact of our operations. We first calculated the carbon footprint of our operations in 2019, setting a target to reduce relative emissions. Over 2020, business volumes dropped sharply, resulting in a correlated decline across business travel and event-related emissions. The downstream pressure contributed towards a 75 per cent decrease in overall net emissions.
For the most recent information on AIRAH’s carbon footprint, please refer to the most recent annual report.
As part of our commitment to addressing climate change, AIRAH has also joined the following initiatives:
