COVER STORY
Australian Standards revised
A revolution of sorts is under way with the revision of a number of key Australian Standards
relating to our industry. Among them is AS 1668.2 The use of ventilation and air conditioning
in buildings – Ventilation design for indoor air contaminant control, which will be split into two
distinct documents – one for mechanical ventilation and another for natural ventilation,
bringing an end to years of confusion.
It is 20 years since the bible for the ventilation
of Australian buildings was created, and while
AS 1668.2-1991 The use of mechanical ventilation
and air conditioning in buildings – Mechanical
ventilation for acceptable indoor air-quality, was
revised in 2002 to offer many benefits over its
predecessor, it failed to be referenced in the
Building Code of Australia (BCA).
This revised edition included reduced car park
exhaust rates, reflecting lower emissions from
Australian vehicles. It also included an engineered
approach to selecting outdoor air ventilation rates,
so that indoor air quality could be used as a basis for
outdoor air ventilation rates.
It also provided a means for calculating natural
ventilation based on population, usage and
occupant activity; relaxed the rules for the location
of small exhaust outlets; and doubled the normal
outdoor air ventilation where smoking was
permitted.
However, after much campaigning by many industry
stakeholders, and the facilitation of dialogue
between Standards Australia and the Australian
Building Codes Board (ABCB) – of which AIRAH was
instrumental – both bodies have committed to revise
AS 1668.2-2002 with a view to it being referenced in
the National Construction Code.
Earlier this year, a comprehensive discussion paper
was produced, covering the issues needing to be
addressed in a successful revision of the standard.
Since first meeting in June, the revision committee –
including AIRAH members Vince Aherne, Rob Wallace
and Ross Warner – now meets every six weeks.
According to Adam Stingemore, national sector
manager (building and construction) from
Standards Australia, the committee is comprised of
broad stakeholder representation from industry and
interested parties, to promote balanced views and
consensus-based decision making.
“We are working very closely with our committee,
with the ABCB office, AIRAH and all other
organisations and interests to ensure that when
completed, the new edition of AS 1668.2 will be
referenced in the National Construction Code,
replacing the 1991 reference,” he says.
Perhaps the most important change to the standard
will be its restructure, which will see it split into two
distinct parts: AS 1668.2 – Mechanical Ventilation of
Buildings; and AS 1668.4 – Natural Ventilation of Buildings.
While the former is expected to be suitable for
reference in the National Construction Code BCA
8  n  HVAC&R Nation  n  November 2011   n  www.hvacrnation.com.au
Volume 1; the latter will not. However, both will be
aligned with the requirements of the Green Building
Council of Australia’s Green Star rating system
for commercial building design.
Among the specific issues to be addressed during
the editorial and technical review process will
be the simplification of methods for selection of
minimum outdoor air. Options for reducing energy
consumption, fan energy as well as outdoor air
cooling and heating energy will also be identified.
The classifications of exhausts will be simplified, as
will minimum ventilation rates based on health and
amenity alone – while still including best-practice
ventilation criteria for comfort and productivity.
Options for use of proprietary kitchen ventilation
systems with proven performance will be included,
and the revision will address the issue of odour
control of kitchen exhaust discharge for both
commercial and residential buildings.
The impact of clothes dryers on minimum exhaust
rates in residential laundries will also be addressed.
A long-overdue review of minimum ventilation rates
for car parks, in light of the most recent data on
contaminant emissions from the Australian vehicle
fleet (including those with diesel engines and the
wider use of E10 fuel) will also feature. Similarly,
the use of impulse ventilation for car parks will be
allowable, where relevant.
It is envisaged that these editorial revisions, along
with others, will clarify the misunderstanding
that has existed in the current edition. Along with
simplifying the standard, technical revisions will also
reflect new knowledge, new products and provide
options to reduce energy consumption.
According to John Kennedy M.AIRAH of Simpson
Kotzman consulting engineers, the revision of AS 1668.2
is a long-overdue move forward for the industry.
“The idea to separate mechanical and natural
ventilation into two standards is a good one and
should help resolve the current impasse,” he says.
“One aspect of the current code used considerably
is the establishment of whether a car park is
adequately natural ventilated or not. Reference to
the geometry is the usual course and it would be
awkward to need to view two parts of the code
in the future. This would particularly be the case
where a car park was partially naturally ventilated
and partially mechanically ventilated.”
HVAC&R Nation readers can keep informed on the
progress of this standard via the AIRAH LinkedIn
group and via AIRAH’s weekly email newsletters,
which can be subscribed to via www.airah.org.au
AS1851-2005
Maintenance of fire protection
systems and equipment
The first single-edition of AS 1851 was published in
2005, following almost 10 years of persistent effort
by a large team of industry professionals who were
able to combine in one consistent volume what had
previously been 16 separate documents.
However, this standard suffered a similar fate to that
of AS 1668.2-2002 by not being generally referenced
in the BCA, or in state and territory regulations.
In 2008, the Fire Safety Coordinating Group of
Standards Australia recommended that revisions
to AS 1851-2005 commence, reflecting feedback
on its application provided by building owners
and operators as well as the building maintenance
industry – with a view that it be revised in a form
suitable for inclusion in state regulation or the
National Construction Code, BCA Volume 1.
At the time of HVAC&R Nation going to print, public
comment on the draft revision had recently closed.
Among the changes being proposed for
AS 1851-2005 is a new title of Routine service
of fire protection systems and equipment, with
the term “routine service” replacing “maintenance”
to avoid ambiguity.
The number of separate sections has been reduced
from 19 to 14, while the number of informative
appendices has been increased to 11.
Among the changes relating specifically to the
HVAC industry is that the intervals between routine
service for many mechanical services smoke control
items has been increased to reflect the minimum
standard considered acceptable to the community.
As such, the minimal interval is now quarterly
except for kitchen exhausts and outdoor air intakes,
which continue to require monthly inspections due
to the risk of accumulation of combustible material.
AS/NZS 3666
Air-handling and water systems
of buildings – Microbial Control
Late last year, a working committee within
Australian Standards commenced revisions to the
joint Australian New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3666
 COVER STORY

(Parts 1, 2 and 3) – Air-handling and water systems of

buildings – Microbial Control.
These were made available for public comment
earlier this year.
Among the minor changes made to the existing
standard include wording made consistent with the
Plumbing Code. Advances such as the introduction
of two standards on measurement of drift loss at
cooling towers (AS 4180 Parts 1 and 2 – introduced
in 2008) have also been recognised in the update to
AS/NZS 3666.
A cross-reference to useful templates for conducting
cooling tower risk-management plans, based on
that outlined in the Victorian Health Department’s
Code of Practice is also included.
Importantly, however, a new part to the standard
has been introduced. The new AS/NZS 3666 Part AIRAH CEO Phil Wilkinson, M.AIRAH Clive Broadbent AM, (L.AIRAH)
4 provides a performance-based approach to the
maintenance of air-handling systems to assist users As such, the new draft is structured along a Items that have a source of water connected
in the control of microorganisms conventional risk-management framework, with are not addressed, such as humidifiers and
major risk categories identified as being: evaporative cooling plant. Rather, Broadbent says,
“These standards are important for the control
it is appropriate for an owner to produce a risk-
of microbiological matters, such as Legionnaires’ • Environment – climatic zone;
management plan based on the manufacturer’s
disease, and will further safeguard the wider
• Site and system characteristics maintenance recommendations in these
community,” says Colin Blair, chief executive officer
– hygienic condition of the plant room; circumstances.
for Standards Australia.
• Moisture – evidence of pooling; It is hoped that by replacing the present prescriptive
“The new standards improve what is already a very
• System defects – inadequate access approach with this new standardised risk approach,
sound set of standards, to effectively manage the
for maintenance; each site will receive due care and attention, and
possible threat of legionnaires’.”
that the cost of maintenance will be reduced while
Parts 1 and 2 are referenced in the National • Air filtration capability – arrestance quality is improved via the use of distinctive plans
Construction Code Volume 1 BCA, as the deemed- efficiency of filters; and for each site.
to-satisfy provision for design, commissioning
• Air quantities – air quantities known According to AIRAH chief executive officer Phil
operation and maintenance. Parts 3 and 4 are
or likely to be at design values. Wilkinson M.AIRAH, the publication is a step forward
performance-based documents for maintenance,
with the former covering cooling water systems and A procedure is included for evaluating and for the industry.
the latter air-handling systems. reporting on these factors that may have an impact “These four important Standards represent best
on microbial growth. The evaluation would be practice in managing the threat of legionnaires’
Providing background to the introduction of Part
largely visual, as set out in the standard, with a and microbiological control” he says. “The industry
4, Clive Broadbent AM (L.AIRAH), who chaired the
minimum of quantitative data needed. is pleased with the progress that has been made
sub-committee that prepared the standard, says a
number of issues have arisen in the application of “This is for practical reasons and to set a level in standards development within a short amount
AS/NZS 3666 Part 2. that is not dependent upon elaborate sampling of time.”

“Microbes in air-handling plant are predominantly techniques for laboratory analysis,” explains
found at wetted surfaces, including cooling coils, Broadbent. Ground-source
drains, failed vapour barriers and the like,” explains
Broadbent. “There are sometimes influencing
“At some sites such analyses may be appropriate, heat pumps
but for most it is envisaged that simple visual
factors such as presence of contaminants in the observations would suffice for the purposes A new Australian Standard to cover the emerging
vicinity of the plant or at the outdoor air intake.” of the performance approach to the maintenance technology of ground-source heat pumps is also
He says while maintenance of such items is already of air handlers.” currently being developed.
addressed in AS/NZS 3666.2 in a prescriptive
manner, a prescriptive approach necessarily
provides a one-size-fits-all maintenance approach.
As such, the impacts of differing climate zones,
proximity to the sea and filtration quality, among
others, are not recognised.
“An air handling system in Darwin could be
expected to demand closer frequency servicing
than one in a temperate climate,” Broadbent says.
“Introduction of a performance methodology could
be expected to support differing solutions to the
underlying challenge of microbes at air handlers
and the health problems that may create – not to
mention potential for damage to building surfaces
and the plant itself from excessive corrosion attack.”

www.hvacrnation.com.au  n  November 2011  n  HVAC&R Nation  n  9

 COVER STORY

The standard will include minimum requirements Importantly, it will cover closed-loop systems only. “The project is considered high-priority and will kick
for the design, installation, testing and verification, off in the coming months,” says Pearce.
According to Standard Australia’s national sector
and decommissioning of ground-source heat pump manager Rikki Pearce, the standard was approved The new standard will also cover drilled, horizontal
(GSHP) systems for domestic, commercial and under the Standards Australia resourced pathway in and pond-based systems for both water-based
industrial applications. the last round of project prioritisation. and direct-exchange systems.
It is aimed at designers and installers of GSHP
systems as well as architects and engineers
specifying such systems. Main and sub-contractors
AS/NZS 3666 National Seminar Series involved with specialist installer companies
supplying GSHP systems, designs and components
AIRAH in collaboration with Standards Australia will present a national seminar series on the
will also benefit from the new standard.
new AS/NZS 3666 commencing in late November.
Among its objectives are to help protect the
The seminars will be presented by Clive Broadbent AM (L.AIRAH), Chair of sub-committee ME-
environment and ensure the safety of consumers;
062-05 (Health Aspects of Air and Water Handling) who prepared the standard.
and help to ensure systems are properly specified
Clive is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the control of Legionella bacteria and and installed to operate at maximum efficiency
legionnaires’ disease in air handling and water systems, and a leading environmental hygiene while providing the greatest comfort level to
specialist. consumers.

As Chair of the sub-committee behind the standard, he will provide an insight into the It will set performance requirements that must
changes of the revised standards and a background for these. be met, and provide a basis against which GHSP
systems may be assessed. Importantly, the new
The seminar series is ideal for: standard will be written in a manner that allows
•  Regulatory authorities •  Building services designers for new innovations and ideas that might improve
these objectives.
•  Equipment manufacturers and suppliers •  Architects
•  Maintenance personnel •  Installers “The standard will provide a platform on which
certification, accreditation and training processes
•  Managers •  Owners
can be implemented for the industry,” says Pearce.
A full listing of seminar dates and locations is available on page 14. “This will promote healthy competition that will be
based on quality, well-designed systems that will be
to the benefit of consumers.”  n

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10  n  HVAC&R Nation  n  November 2011   n  www.hvacrnation.com.au