PRIME – A blueprint for a successful transition to a low-emissions future
Australian heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) is carbon intense. HVAC&R uses more than 24 per cent of the electricity generated in Australia, and produces about 11.5 per cent of Australia’s national emissions. Building sustainability and addressing climate change cannot be done without looking at the sustainability of our HVAC&R sector. The two concepts are interlinked.
AIRAH and a coalition of stakeholders from within the Australian HVAC&R industry have developed a blueprint for the industry’s successful transition to a low-emissions future through five pathways, or PRIME.
P
Professionalism |
Skills and training, licensing, professional registration, tertiary education, and an industry council or forum to consider strategy, policy, information sharing, and industry practices. |
R
Regulation |
Inform government policy and regulations, industry codes, and Australian Standards including validation, regulatory data, and enforcement. |
I
Information |
Educate and inform end-users and disseminate low-emission skills and knowledge, technologies, design practices, and convert data to information. |
M
Measurement |
Measure and benchmark HVAC&R performance using system rating tools, industry metrics, building tuning, system optimisation, validated efficiency claims, and technology comparison tools. |
E
Emission abatement |
Product stewardship, new technologies, work practice accreditation, incentivising low-emission interventions, maintenance for energy efficiency, and refrigeration containment. |
Originally created in 2014, PRIME is as valid today as it was then. It continues to guide much of AIRAH’s activities on behalf of the HVAC&R building services industry. Evidence of PRIME in action can be seen through AIRAH’s advocacy work and in the Innovation Hub for Affordable Heating and Cooling (i-Hub).
For more information on climate change and HVAC&R, click here.
This page was last updated February 8, 2022
