Did you know that June 26^th is World Refrigeration Day? If you’ve never heard of this occasion before, don’t worry. World Refrigeration Day is being introduced for the first time in 2019 to raise community awareness about the role of the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry in supporting modern life and society. Years in the planning, this inaugural refrigeration celebration will take place on June 26, the birthdate of Lord Kelvin. Trade associations and industry groups from the United States, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and across Europe have all given formal support for the day.

Why is HVAC&R so important?

HVAC&R may not be something that occupies most thoughts but it is prevalent in lives and is vital to our health, comfort and productivity. HVAC&R keeps the spaces people occupy comfortable and the food and beverages we eat and drink at temperatures sustainable for transport and consumption. Without HVAC&R, we would be uncomfortable and hungry.

Refrigeration is a term used as the process of achieving and maintaining a required temperature below that of its surroundings. An example of refrigeration is the preservation and transportation of perishable food products. Refrigeration systems are also used extensively for providing thermal comfort to people globally by means of air conditioning.

A Day in the Life with HVAC&R

For most people, a typical day looks something like this:

• 6am – Wake up
• 6:30am – Breakfast, typically cereal (milk stored in the refrigerator)
• 6:45am – Drive to work (with climate control on)
• 7:30am – Arrive at work, grab a coffee (milk stored in the refrigerator)
• 8:00am – Office air-conditioning starts to maintain comfortable temperature
• 12:00pm – Café next door to grab a sandwich (food and beverages stored in the refrigerator)
• 3:30pm – Grab a coffee (milk stored in the refrigerator)
• 5:30pm – Office air-conditioning turns off
• 5:35pm – Drive home (with climate control on)
• 6:30pm – Grab a beer and prepare dinner (most of the contents stored in the freezer or refrigerator and depending on ambient conditions turn on the air-conditioner)
• 8:30pm – Make signficant other a cup of tea (milk stored in the refrigerator)
• 10:00pm – Turn off the air-conditioner and go to bed

Without even realising, most of our daily activities involve HVAC-R in some way.

It’s easy to forget that HVAC&R systems operate continuously to ensure that the spaces people occupy are comfortable. It’s even easier to forget that HVAC&R systems work hard 24/7 to keep the food and beverages we eat and drink maintained to temperatures that prevent unwanted bacteria growth ensuring food is kept suitable for human consumption.

Whilst making us comfortable and safely storing our food, HVAC&R systems are responsible for 22% (Australian Refrigeration Association, 2015) of Australia’s national electricity usage.

In plain terms, almost ¼ of Australia’s total energy use is consumed by HVAC&R systems. In other climates across Asia like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines where cooling dominates HVAC&R, this number is likely to be much higher.

With such a large portion of our energy consumed by HVAC&R, It’s our responsibility to promote occasions like the World Refrigeration Day to ensure adequate exposure of the HVAC&R industry globally. As a supplier it’s also our responsibility to ensure we provide the necessary tools to contracting businesses, building owners and operators alike, to manage these systems as efficiently as possible whilst maintaining comfort conditions for building occupants.

We take HVAC&R for granted every day, oblivious to the fact that without these systems we would be very uncomfortable, sick from food poisoning or extremely hungry.

So join in on the 26th June and celebrate World Refrigeration Day!