Contact Us
About the ARC
New Standards for industry
As the peak industry body servicing over 84,000 individuals and businesses in the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector, ARC sits on various committees and
groups to ensure the interests of the whole industry are represented.
ARC has representatives on numerous Australian Standards committees, the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Training Alliance, Government Air Conditioning and Commercial Refrigerants Advisory
committee plus many others.
We have also created two industry working groups – training quality and refrigerant evolution – representing the interests of technicians in the sector and providing you with an avenue to have your
voice heard.
Our strategy is to update standards within the industry to make them modern and contemporary, so they evolve with the ever-changing technological landscape.
To deliver on this objective involves a number of actions, including the work we have done with the ARC industry working groups, as well as our involvement with Standards Australia.
New standards for refrigerating systems, heat pumps and refrigerants
In October 2016, Standards Australia published the following new standards for the refrigeration and air conditioning sector:
AS/NZS ISO 817 Refrigerants – Designation and safety classification
ARC had representatives on the committee assessing these significant amendments relating to safety classifications for refrigerants. We encourage all technicians and businesses to read and understand these changes,
and to make sure you and your employees are across the new classifications.
AS/NZS 5149: The following four amendments relate to the safety and environmental requirements of refrigerating systems and heat pumps:
AS/NZS 5149.1 – Refrigerating systems and heat pumps:
Safety and environmental requirements – Part 1: Definitions, classification and selection criteria.
AS/NZS 5149.2 – Refrigerating systems and heat pumps:
Safety and environmental requirements – Part 2: Design, construction, testing, marking and documentation.
AS/NZS 5149.3 – Refrigerating systems and heat pumps:
Safety and environmental requirements – Part 3: Installation site.
AS/NZS 5149.4 – Refrigerating systems and heat pumps:
Safety and environmental requirements – Part 4: Operation, maintenance, repair and recovery.
Visit the Standards Australia website to read more www.standards.org.au.
ARC Industry Working Groups Progress
Refrigerant Evolution Working Group
The industry-led refrigerant evolution working group was established by the ARC in August 2016 to look at issues affecting
technicians including: safety, training requirements and technology advances. Its members represent a cross-section of the stationary RAC and automotive air conditioning sector. The group met several times
recently and developed a list of the key issues industry felt should be addresses by the group:
Key Issues:
- Adoption of new refrigerants
- Refrigerant identification
- Safe use of flammable and toxic refrigerants
- Transition issues
- Standard of training for new refrigerants.
