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Intuitively, maintaining HVAC equipment seems like a good idea.

It is almost a truism that equipment will run better and for longer if it is well maintained.

However, making the economic case for supporting property owners to maintain equipment and governments to encourage owners to do this has been hampered by a lack of data.

Finally that data exists and the benefits of HVAC maintenance can finally be quantified.

On day two of the ARBS seminar program a panel of speakers will share recent results on studies and practices that highlight the benefits of maintenance and set the scene for opportunities across the HVAC industry.

The first panellist will be Expert Group managing director, Peter Brodribb.

He will present research to help reduce costs and extend the life of equipment.

Brodribb is a specialist in strategic and technical issues associated with direct and indirect emissions in the climate change, energy efficiency and HVAC&R industries.

He has co-authored over 50 major research studies in the HVACR industry and has extensive experience preparing economic and technical models, greenhouse gas inventories and policy papers to evaluate the impact of energy efficiency and carbon policy for state and federal policy makers in the Asia Pacific region, international inter-governmental agencies and industry.

He is a professional engineer with over 30 years experience and will be joined by Grosvenor Engineering Group managing director, Nicholas Lianos, who is well known for his ability to think outside the square.

In 1994 he founded Grosvenor with partner Peter Souflias, now one of the country’s leading providers of intelligent building services, design and construction solutions.

These services are provided across HVAC, fire, electrical and building IoT.

Lianos has played an integral role in driving a data led business to improve building performance, reduce overall costs and increase return on investment.

He has a deep understanding of building data and how it can be used to propel superior efficiencies in the built environment.

Lianos recently created the Grosvenor Office of Research and Technology which is supporting the business in the development of technologies that improve how the built environment operates.

Another panellist in this session will be Patrick McInerney, the director of the ozone and climate protection section in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

McInerney has been involved in Australia’s ozone protection and synthetic greenhouse gas program since 2003 and is well known to the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. Patrick has led Australia’s delegation to Montreal Protocol meetings since 2003.

He has also led Australia’s HFC phase down.

The final panellist for this session will be Refrigerants Australia executive director, Greg Picker. He has over 20 years’ experience in climate change and energy policy, with a particular focus on HFCs.

In 2013, Picker became executive director of Refrigerants Australia. In this role he works with industry and government to help ensure policies drive good outcomes and are designed to be practicable. Picker spent a decade working with the federal government on climate policy and began his career working with the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.