Expert Witness

The Expert Group has undertaken numerous expert witness investigations and prepared reports in accordance with the Expert Witness Code of Conduct and VCAT Practice Notice guidelines.

Recent investigations include:

• Heating and air conditioning (large commercial offices) – human comfort and lease agreement dispute that involved providing specialized independent technical advice and empirical evidence from data loggers and test instruments (i.e. temperature, humidity and air-flows).
• Heating and air conditioning (residential) – independent reports for homeowners, contractors and builders. Some reports have been used as testimonies at VCAT hearings and others have instigated corrective action by insurance companies that underwrite Plumbing Industry Commission certificate for mechanical works.
• Energy consumption (commercial and residential disputes) – involved undertaking an on-site energy audit and developing a bottom-up energy consumption model for the equipment, appliances and sources based on predicted operational behavior. This bottom-up analysis is reconciled with top-down analysis and provides testimony of predicted monthly and annual energy consumption.
• Economic adjustment, businesses risks and challenges associated with the Carbon Tax and accompanying Carbon Levies.
• Other key areas of expertise include refrigeration, refrigerants, gas appliances and the cold food chain.

Please call us for more details on our key areas of expertise and range of Expert Witness services available.

HVAC Expert Witness

Refrigeration Expert Witness

Assignments

Cold Hard Facts, third edition, prepared for the Department of the Environment and Energy, Sept 2018.

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Consumption in New Zealand, prepared for the NZ Ministry for the Environment, Oct 2017.

A study on the Environmental Impacts of Refrigerant Gas in End-of-life vehicles in Australia, for Department of the Environment, June 2015.

Cold Hard Facts, second edition prepared in for the Department of the Environment, July 2013.

A review of existing uses of SGGs for the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Ozone and Synthetic Gas Team, April 2012.

A study into the HFC Consumption in Australia for the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Ozone and Synthetic Gas Team, October 2011.

Strata and Community Title Market and Potential Impacts of the Mandatory Residential Disclosure Assessments in association with EnergyConsult for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, May 2012.

The Efficiency Opportunity in Air Conditioning – An Australian Case Study in association with Thinkwell Australia for the International Energy Agency, 2011.

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victorian Schools Energy and Sustainability Auditor Panel, 2011.

Ministerial Council on Engery in association with EnergyConsult, Discussion Paper on Gas Appliance Energy Efficiency Labelling in Australia and New Zealand, 2011.

Expert Witness Report and Testimony, client details withheld, 2011.

Carbon and Energy Audit Examples, client details withheld, 2011.

In from the cold: Strategies to increase the energy efficiency of non-domestic refrigeration in Australia and New Zealand for Federal Dept of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, 2011.

Essential Service Commission and Department of Primary Industries in Victoria on gas ducted heating systems and ductwork guidelines for the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme, 2011.

Best Practice Guideline, Methods of Calculating Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) for AIRAH and Refrigerants Australia in association with AIRAH Natural Refrigerants Steering Committee, 2011.

Refrigerant Emissions in Australia: Sources, Causes and Remedies, prepared for the Federal Department of Environment, Ozone and Synthetic Gas Team, 2010.

Australian Industry Group, independent technical advice on carbon reduction projects across the refrigerated cold food chain sponsored by Sustainability Victoria, 2010.

MEPS Product Profile, Gas Ducted Heaters in association with EnergyConsult for Sustainability Victoria, 2009 - 2010.

MEPS Product Profile, Radiant Outdoor Gas Radiant Heater, Federal Dept of Environment, Energy Efficiency Team, 2009.

Review of Current & Emerging Heat Pump Technology for Federal Dept of Environment, Ozone & Synthetic Gas Team, 2009.

Solar Absorption Chiller Technical Evaluation for Federal Dept of Environment, Renewables & Energy Efficiency Division, 2009.

Ozone Depleting Substances & Synthetic Greenhouse Australia, Federal Department of Environment, 2008.

Technical Review HVAC&R (Supermarket Industry), Refrigerants Australia, 2008.

Assessment of the HCFC Bank and Forecasts of Future Demand, Federal Department of Environment, 2007.

Cold Hard Facts, Federal Department of Environment, 2007.