Cold hard facts: the refrigeration and air conditioning industry in Australia

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2008
Department of the Environment and Water Resources
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It is little known fact that one of the earliest pioneers of modern refrigeration was an Australian. James Harrison demonstrated and patented a commercial ice-making machine in Geelong, Victoria in 1851. His insights and the principles he demonstrated with his early vapour-compression systems still underpins much of the refrigeration technology that the world relies on today.

This report has attempted to calculate the extent of the installed base of refrigerating systems, across a great many applications and sectors, through a 'bottom up' process. Primary sources of information used includes commercially prepared market reports compiled by reference to individual firms sales figures, import statistics compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, and interviews with leading industry participants. Secondary sources of information include previous estimates made by consultants to the Equipment Energy Efficiency committees MEPS programs.

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