Standards Australia has released for public comment five proposed new Australian/New Zealand Standards for refrigeration systems and refrigerants, AS/NZS ISO 817:2015, Refrigerants – Designation and safety classification, and AS/NZS 5149,Refrigerating systems and heat pumps - Safety and environmental requirements, Parts 1 to 4.

The five proposed new Australian/New Zealand Standards are based on international standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2014. It is proposed for these new standards to supersede the current Australian and New Zealand Standards for refrigerating systems, AS/NZS 1677 Parts 1 and 2, which were published in 1998.

The key proposed changes include a revised, internationally-aligned system of refrigerant designation and safety classification, as well as an extended scope to not only include safety requirements, but also the environmental aspects of system construction, leak prevention, vibration, maintenance, log books, repair and recovery of refrigerant.

Mr Phil Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Heating (AIRAH), said: “The proposed new standards will mean a big change for Industry in both Australia and New Zealand. AIRAH originally proposed this work to update the Australian Standards and we are very pleased that the technical committee has been able to play an influential role in shaping the International Standards and adopting them for Australia and New Zealand.”

Dr Bronwyn Evans, CEO of Standards Australia, said the Standards Australia technical committee ME-006 is seeking broad-based feedback from the many communities who use, service and design equipment built to Australian refrigeration standards.

Standards Australia has worked with ISO to make the text of the international standards available for viewing until 1 September 2015. The public comment period commences 30 June 2015 and will conclude on 1 September 2015.

More information at: http://www.standards.org.au/