RACA Journal: ISSN 1812-772X
Hot and chilled
WE MADE IT!
O
h, what a time to be alive! The new year has sprung, FRIGAIR
(page 27) and AfriBuild (page 29) are drawing closer, and the
Springboks are still World Champions! There’s so much to smile about
and I’m excited just thinking about it.
So, it’s back to work and I do hope you enjoyed the December break, got
to recuperate and are energised for what lies ahead.
This year is going to be incredibly busy for the industry, with key events
set to shake things up once again. The ASHRAE South Africa Chapter won
the bid to host the Regional Chapters Conference together with Pakistan
and India. Despite its relative youth, the local Chapter is doing very well and
making good strides. South African Chapter president, Richard Humphrey,
gives an update on the last conference on page 78.
Speaking of youth, as I converse with some of you, you share that it’s
time to give the youth their place in the industry. Although there are a lot of
issues surrounding youth involvement, the veterans won’t always be around,
so serious measures need to be taken to pass on the baton. On the training
side we can expect to see significant transformation as Grant Laidlaw shares
that new qualifications including Air Conditioning, Ammonia, and CO 2
have been registered with the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and
Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). These are registered as
occupations with trade tests in each area. Additionally, smaller, more focused
part qualifications have been developed and will become available in 2020.
As many will know, this a battle that has taken years to win and well done to
all involved in making it happen. RACA Journal looks forward to featuring the
new entrants.
With the Kigali Amendment in full swing, experts anticipate further
development of alternative technologies, energy efficiency in the sector with
increased focus on safety standards and the phasing down of HFCs.
Oftentimes our featured projects take months and months to execute
once the design, initiation and planning stages have passed. This month’s
cover project, the Botswana Examination Council, took only a week to install
and execute! Read about the impressive work on page 58.
Things are changing and for the better, especially in our world – a lot of
brands have revamped their product offering, expressed their commitment
to bettering the industry and added new faces to their stable. Read all about
this and more in this issue. And don’t forget to sign up for FRIGAIR 2021, as
spaces are filling up fast. You don’t want to miss this one!
An exciting 2020 awaits! RACA
Dale Macnamara
Business unit lead | [email protected]
www.hvacronline.co.za
RACA Journal I January 2020
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