A new Safe Haven baby box has been installed at Westfield Fire Dept. station No. 83, 17944 Grassy Branch Rd., Nov. 13.

Safe Haven Baby Boxs mission is to end infant abandonment by raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law and providing resources for legal infant surrender. The baby box at WFD is an example of a legal infant surrender.

The new Westfield box is the 51st location in the nation.

I am pleased to see Westfield have a Safe Haven Baby Box, Westfield Mayor Andy Cook stated. While I hope it is never used, it is important that we have this available for a parent in crisis. Every baby deserves a chance, and this program is one way to make that possible.

Cooks wife, Barb, was led the fundraising efforts for the baby box. Safe Haven Baby Boxes cost approximately $15,000 to install. They are equipped with alarm systems to immediately notify staff at the fire station if the box is used. The boxes also have heating and cooling features and are made to lock as soon as a baby is placed inside.

We are always looking for innovative ways to serve our community, Westfield Fire Dept. Chief Marcus Reed stated. Adding a Safe Haven Baby Box to one of our stations is just another way we can proactively protect our most vulnerable.

Indiana is one of five states with an updated Safe Haven Law to include additional infant surrender options, such as the Safe Haven Baby Box.

For more, visit shbb.org.

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Baby box installed at Station 83 Current Publishing - Current in Carmel

Dec. 1, 2020 / PRZen / DE PERE, Wis. -- Whole house filtration removes particles and odors from the air in your home

Homeowners in northeastern Wisconsin already understand the value that whole house filtration systems bring during the six months or more that we have our windows shut. Now home filter systems make more sense than ever as families spend additional time at home.

Robinson Heating & Cooling's experts assist with selecting the appropriate whole house filtration system for your needs so you can eliminate pollutants and other contaminants from the air you breathe every day. Cleaner air also minimizes asthma, allergies and other breathing issues that can affect sleep quality.

In addition to the obvious health benefits, research suggests that enhanced air quality encourages better productivity for working at home and learning at home. Pair whole house filtration and zone heating systems for maximum home comfort.

Whole house filtration relies on high-quality filters

You may have heard of HEPA filters and their role in capturing exceptionally small particulates from the air as part of a whole house filtration system. These high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters serve a crucial role in the effectiveness of your system and its ability to provide clean air for your household.

Your Robinson Heating & Cooling certified specialist will ensure your whole house filtration system has the appropriate filter and power capacity to handle the entire square footage of your entire home. We install purifiers into your home's ductwork that are compatible with your existing ventilation system.

The best filter system for your home depends on a variety of factors. Contact us for a free analysis and learn how a whole house filtration system can provide worry-free clean air for you and your family.

Robinson Heating & Cooling; 45 years of HVAC experience

Robinson Heating & Cooling has been serving the Green Bay, Wisconsin, and surrounding areas since 1975. As the region's trusted source for residential, commercial and industrial HVAC services, Robinson Heating & Cooling repairs most makes and models of heating and cooling equipment in addition to installing new equipment from leading brands.

Visit https://www.robinsonheatingcooling.com/ or call (920) 490-3394 for a consultation or to schedule an appointment.

View the original post on whole house filtration here.

ContactRobinson Heating & Cooling920) 490-3394

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Protect your health with a whole house filtration system - Press Release - Digital Journal

An initiative to shine a light on neighborhoods in need and help them diminish crime while building a sense of community is making progress up and down the First State.

Its called Lights On and comes from a group called the Delaware Help Initiative

Contributor Larry Nagengast takes a closer look at this group and what its doing.

Delaware Public Media's Tom Byrne and contributor Larry Nagengast discuss the Delaware Help Initiative and its "Lights On" program.

From Laurel to Claymont, struggling communities are getting brighter, and feeling a little safer, thanks to the work of a 4-year-old Dover-based nonprofit, the Delaware Help Initiative.

Starting in Dover in 2017 as part of the citys Restoring Central Dover campaign, the Help Initiative created Lights On Dover Strong, a program to install energy-efficient LED bulbs on the front porches and solar-powered motion-detected lighting in the rear of more than 350 homes in targeted neighborhoods.

Theyre dedicated folks, Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen said of Help Initiative leaders Charles Kistler and Harold Stafford. They understand that an important part of community revitalization is making the community safe and building trust.

Chanda Jackson, community engagement coordinator for NCALL, a nonprofit that Christiansen credits with pulling together the funding to get the revitalization started, recalls meeting Kistler and Stafford at a Restoring Central Dover committee meeting in early 2017. They asked, what can we do? not only for lighting up the community but building relationships as well.

"They're dedicated folks. They understand that an important part of community revitalization is making the community safe and building trust." - Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen

Stafford and Kistler then pitched their plan to the mayor: replace incandescent bulbs on outdoor fixtures with LED lights and install solar-powered motion detectors in the rear of each home. It was a relatively simple, straightforward approach: no electrical work required, just swapping bulbs and attaching motion detectors.

But the offer would require residents to make a commitment, Stafford said. They had to promise to keep the motion detectors on, tell their neighbors about the program, call police if they noticed suspicious activity and attend a workshop on energy efficiency.

The project targeted a onetime working-class neighborhood south of Division Street between Governors Avenue and the railroad tracks that had been in decline and was experiencing increases in crime and drug traffic, Christiansen said.

When we got started, it took residents a couple of weeks to warm up to us, Stafford says. Then they started coming up to us, asking when we were going to work on their street.

Crime rates have dropped in the neighborhood, but not as much as the city might have liked. However, the projects overall impact was positive enough to spur the city to install new streetlights and security cameras in the area, the mayor said.

Coupled with new affordable housing and other improvements in the Restoring Central Dover campaign, Lights On has been a positive factor in helping promote the citys overall economic development prospects, Christiansen said.

The projects success drew the attention of officials in Seaford, who organized their own Lights On campaign and brought in the Help Initiative to handle installations at nearly 450 residences.

Help Initiative targeted underserved, challenged areas on the citys east side and the lighting improvements made a huge difference, City Manager Charles Anderson said. We hope to do the west side in the future.

After Seaford came Milford, then Laurel and Georgetown.

"Installing lights on and around a property can help dissuade incidents like trespassing, package thefts or burglaries. It can also contribute to an increased sense of comfort for residents and visitors." says Wilm. Police Communications Dir. David Karas

Now the Help Initiative is shining its light upstate on Wilmingtons West Side and in two communities north of the city, Edgemoor Gardens and Knollwood.

While perhaps a simple step, installing lights on and around a property can help dissuade incidents like trespassing, package thefts or burglaries. It can also contribute to an increased sense of comfort for residents and visitors, and can support overall neighborhood safety, says David Karas, policy and communications director for the Wilmington Police Department.

With the programs relatively short history and its geographic limitation to targeted areas, its too soon to make broad conclusions about its impact on crime, but Edward Huey, administrative lieutenant with the Milford Police Department, says there are fewer thefts and criminal mischief incidents in the areas where lights have been installed. At the same time, there have been more reports of found property, and more calls from residents who observe suspicious activity.

Lights help residents see more in the neighborhood. They help residents identify things that are suspicious, Huey says.

West Side Grows Together, the community redevelopment organization that focuses on the section of Wilmington bordered by Interstate 95, Pennsylvania Avenue, the B&O railroad tracks and Lancaster Avenue, brought the Help Initiative to the city a little more than a year ago, according to Sarah Lester, whose role as president and CEO of the Cornerstone West Community Development Corporation, puts her at the center of the areas redevelopment projects.

A lot of our work is focused on clean and safe strategies, Lester says, and residents of the area between Lancaster Avenue and Fourth Street, especially near Judy Johnson Park, frequently mentioned that their neighborhood seemed quite dark.

Lester connected with the Help Initiative through NCALL, whose activities in the Dover area mirror what Cornerstone West tries to accomplish on Wilmingtons West Side.

The Help Initiative began the Lights On campaign in Wilmington late last year, but the COVID-19 state of emergency brought the effort to a halt in mid-March. Help Initiative teams returned to the neighborhood this week and expect to wrap up their work by the end of the month. LED bulbs have replaced incandescent lighting at more than 700 housing units already, Lester said.

A separate program funding the installation of 26 security cameras outside area businesses, primarily along Fourth Street, has given both businesses and residents an increased sense of security, says Gabrielle Lantieri, Cornerstone Wests economic development manager.

The lights and cameras empower residents. Lantieri mentioned a woman who lives in an apartment above her business who spotted suspicious activity when she looked out her window to the alleyway below. She shouted out to him, I can see you now, youve got to get out of here.

In part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilmington police havent been able to assess the projects impact on crime in the area, Karas said, but Lester believes residents feel safer than they did before.

In the suburbs, New Castle County police have worked with the Help Initiative in distributing the LED lights and motion detectors in Edgemoor Gardens and Knollwood.

Edgemoor Gardens is a community in need that is trying to reestablish itself, says Lt. Gerald Tatum, special operations executive officer with the county police. Knollwood, a three-street community cut off from the rest of Claymont by Interstate 495, has struggled with vandalism and drug dealing issues for years.

When Help Initiative teams began visiting these communities in September, county police officers accompanied them, Tatum said. The idea behind this approach was to do more than talk about safety, but also to try to establish stronger police-community relationships, just like what has occurred in other areas where Help Initiative has worked. We had an opportunity to interact with the youth, and with the adults as well, he said.

"We should have an impact on crime, residents feel safer and save on their utility bills. And communities build a stronger relationship with the local police." Cornerstone West Community Development Corporation CEO Sara Lester

While the Help Initiatives most visible work brightens neighborhoods, it provides other free services to residents. Stafford says team members will replace old aerators on kitchen and bathroom faucets and install energy-efficient shower heads as well. They will also check water heaters to make sure the temperature is set for 120 to 125 degrees, the level recommended for safe and efficient operation, and provide LED bulbs for interior lighting.

The Help Initiative also has a subcontractor available to do energy audits and arrangements with other subcontractors licensed to repair or replace home heating systems. If improvements to improve efficiency are suggested, the agency can guide residents in finding contractors to do the work and in accessing funding either low-interest loans or grants to pay for the projects.

The Help Initiative relies on a variety of grant programs to perform its work. The Dover project was funded largely through the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation grant that helped underwrite the overall Restoring Central Dover campaign. Subsequent Lights On projects have received much of their funding through Energize Delaware, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide access to low-cost innovative technologies in heating, cooling, ventilation and insulation. Stafford estimates the cost of LED bulbs, motion detectors and related supplies at $100 per residence.

For the energy audits, the Help Initiative is paid as a subcontractor for another business, FranklinEnergy Delaware, which is also funded by Energize Delaware. Federal funds funneled through state agencies cover other costs, Stafford says. Weatherization funds come through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and heating system repair and replacement funds come through the Department of Health and Social Services.

With its broadened range of services, the Help Initiative serves communities and residents in multiple ways, Stafford says.

At West Side Grows Together, Lester concurs.

We should have an impact on crime, residents feel safer and save on their utility bills, she says, and communities build a stronger relationship with the local police."

Link:
Local nonprofit works to light the way to safer, stronger communities - Delaware First Media

During the colder, winter months, small animals will likely try and sneak into your home for shelter and warmth. If there's a way in, rest assured these intrepid, unwanted guests will find it. Once they do, you may not know they're there for several weeks or months. Critters like mice, rats and bats are very good at staying hidden, especially in houses with attics and basements, aka lots of dark places for them to hunker down.

More often than not, the ways you'll learn that critters have taken up residence in your home is by hearing them scuffle about, smelling them in your heating and cooling vents, or seeing their dirty work chewed wires, water damage (especially in the attic) and droppings. So what should you do once it's clear you've got some wild animal tenants? That all depends on what they are. Here's a list of the main culprits you'll find squatting in your home and what you can do to escort them out.

Rodents (mice, rats and squirrels)

Mice, rats and squirrels are the most common critter home invaders you'll come across, because they're small and very capable of squeezing through tiny crevices. In fact, entry holes need not be larger than 1/4 inch for one of these tenacious rodents to make their way through them. The best way to keep them out is by scouring your home for small openings, sealing all cracks and holes, and adding weather stripping to all windows and doors. However, if they've already made their way indoors, things get a bit more complicated.

How to humanely evict rodents

You don't have to use poison or traditional mouse traps to take care of your rodent problem. Instead, you can place cotton balls soaked in peppermint or eucalyptus oil, scents rodents don't like, in areas where you've seen evidence of them to drive them out of your home. You should also make sure to secure all open food and food contained in cardboard, as well as all garbage containers. While this is a temporary deterrent, once the rodents have vacated, plug up the holes and cracks they appear to have entered from so they can't return.

If you find any stragglers remaining after you've plugged up the holes, you can set catch and release traps which are available at most hardware stores.

That said, mice infestations can get out of hand rather quickly, especially if left unchecked for some time. If you feel like your efforts aren't making a dent, call a pest control professional.

In the case of squirrels, it's important to locate their nest, which will likely be in the rafters of your attic. If you find baby squirrels in the nest, it's best to wait a few weeks until their old enough to be on their own. In the meantime, seal off all the openings in your attic so there's only one exit point. Install a one-way cage door on the outside of that exit point so when the squirrels try to leave, they'll go right into the cage. Make sure to check the cage daily so that no one starves inside.

Once you believe all the squirrels have been caught, release them at least five miles away from your house as long as your state's wildlife catch and release laws designate allow that.

Bats in the attic

Brown bats like to roost in attics, so that's the variety people often happen upon. They can enter through tiny openings around windows, air vents and gaps in roofs. Bats can actually be quite useful because they have a voracious appetite for bugs, but that doesn't mean you necessarily want them taking up permanent residence in your home.

It's important to note, however, that you can't simply remove bats any old way. Bat extermination is actually illegal in the US, so they must be evicted via "exclusion" which basically means sealing up all exits except for one or two where a trap is placed, just like with squirrels. Exclusions can also only be down in the early spring, before bat babies are born, or early fall, once the babies are old enough to be away from their mother.

A bat removal expert can install bat check valves over any openings which allow bats to leave but not return to their roosting spot.

If a bat starts flying around a more common area, like a bedroom or living room, clear out young children and pets, wait for it to land, and either capture it using heavy duty gloves, or by putting a plastic container over it and sliding a piece of cardboard underneath, like you would a large insect. Release outside away from your home, either in midair or onto a vertical space, like a tree.

How to handle larger pests

Raccoons, skunks and possums may also frequent your attic, basement or garage to escape the punishing cold weather, but they can be harder to trap without professional help. Once captured and released, the best way to keep them from coming back is to always keep garage and basement doors and windows closed, secure outdoor trash cans with wildlife-proof lids and or bungee cords, and cap your chimney.

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What to Do if You Find Critters Living in Your Home | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com - The Weather Channel

According to a report by Savills, undertaken in collaboration with the Cold Chain Federation (CCF), cold storage in the UK accounts for an estimated 12% of total warehouse space. A further 1.6 million m2is currently under construction to cater for growing occupier demand.

Netherlands-based NewCold is one advanced cold logistics supplier contributing significantly to efforts to boost UK capacity.Preparations for its second UK deep freeze storage facility, in addition to its existing Wakefield site, are on course, says the company and after construction began in October, it is expected to go live just one year later.

Based in Corby, the facility sits on a 23-acre plot. Country director Jon Miles says it's a prime location in the logistics golden triangle, with proximity to frozen distribution centres of large retail and foodservice customers and perfectly located to help customers reduce food miles and cut costs.

Corby ideally situated

Even though its Wakefield hub can store 143,000 pallets and is only just over five years old, NewCold was already making plans early in 2019 to establish an additional site further south, says Miles.We needed to enhance our national service, particularly for customers wishing to benefit from a closer facility than the Wakefield site. To this end, Corby is ideally situated to support UK frozen food manufacturers and importers looking to enhance their supply chain value.

Miles further explains that in keeping with NewColds focus on sustainability and as demonstrated at their uniquely designed Wakefield site, the new facility will use half the energy of an equivalent conventional cold storage operation.This, coupled with our ability to reduce food miles by using high-volume trailers will greatly reduce CO2 emissions and energy use.

The company has been speaking to high-volume potential customers about using the site, including McCain Foods (GB), Nomad Foods, Froneri International, Finsbury Foods and Grupo Bimbo.

Announcing the Corby project initially, Miles said:The decision to build a second facility has been driven by an increasing wide-scale demand for storage and handling, while the number of deep-frozen storage facilities has reduced. This has seen cold stores at capacity during certain times over the last 2 years and the trend appears to be continuing, so we feel this is the right time to invest.

Artist's impression of NewCold's Rennes facility

Automated cold store near Rennes

The announcement of the Corby facility came just six months afterNewCold broke ground on its NewColds automated cold store in Montauban-de-Bretagne, near Rennes, France. That facility, which also serves customers such as Froneri usesautomated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) to automatically move and store products in the dark high-bay warehouse.

The equipment and operators will be directed by advanced software systems, while products are kept in optimal conditions with all coldstore areas cooled down to temperatures as low as 23C.The facility will be one of the largest in France with a storage capacity of over 700.000 m3 comparable to the volume of one million household refrigerators.

At present, Savills calculates that there are 678 warehouse units with cold storage space over 4,645m2 in the UK, equating to 12.4 million m2, 29% of which are located in Yorkshire and north west England. A further 22 units, currently under construction or being fitted out by occupiers, are also set to contain cold storage.

However, there remains a lack of supply. On a per capita basis, each UK household requires 0.46m2 of cold storage. Taking the country's current housing requirement of 337,235 new homes every year into consideration, an extra 785,030m2 of cold storage space over the next five years should be required, Savill's research claims. That's even before a potential increase in demand from structural changes associated with both Brexit and COVID-19.

Energy-efficient infrastructure

No wonder the sector's climate impact is keeping a lot of people up at night. Thankfully, the CCF states that as well as boosting cold storage capacity, the addition of new energy-efficient infrastructure under construction will help the industry towards its net zero future in line with the Governments 2050 target.

Ahead of its Towards a net zero cold chain report, which is expected in early 2021, it released a preliminary paper Shaping the cold chain of the future: the road to net zero.In it, it maps the supply chain for New Zealand lamb headed for UK consumers' tables to break down all the cold chain processes involved and highlight two priority areas to target for greenhouse gas reduction.

It details eight main stages:

Considering first how to improve energy management in cold stores, the report asks two questions.

How can the UK maximise efficiency in buildings and refrigeration systems?

How can smarter ways of generating and reusing energy offset emissions associated with refrigeration?

It then highlights consequent research priorities to grapple with these issues.

Understanding the issue

Future energy management models

Future regulation

Turning to temperature controlled distribution, the research takes the same approach.

Fuels: Transitioning away from diesel as the primary fuel for mobile refrigeration;

Refrigerants: The use of high GWP refrigerants in mobile refrigeration;

Industry standards:

Understanding the issue: Gaps in our understanding of TRUs present a major risk to effective policy making. Data requirements requiring research include:

Industry:

Technological:

The paper concludes by outlining five likely stages on the pathway to net zero:

1. Reducing the energy required for cooling: i.e, energy efficiency measures in cold stores, better building design;

2. Technological advances to reduce direct emissions: e.g. low GWP refrigerants and emission free methods for mobile refrigeration;

3. Supply-chain wide collaboration: to improve visibility, maximise efficiency in distribution and work in partnership to tackle chainwide issues;

4. Developing better ways to manage energy and waste heat: e.g. demand management, district heating and utilising cold stores as virtual batteries;

5. Powering remaining cooling load from sustainable sources.

Mackie's produces more than ten million litres of ice cream a year

Global specialist in industrial cooling, heating and sustainable energy solutions GEA Refrigeration Technologies is one company supplying refrigeration systems using the low GWP refrigerant ammonia reference in point 2 above. It's one of the refrigerants of choice as the EU F-Gas regulations, which will transfer into UK law from 1 January 2021, phase out fluorinated greenhouse gas alternatives in the coming years.

In October, the company signed an order to install a 4.5m low carbon, energy efficient cooling system running on ammonia with absorption chiller for premium ice cream manufacturer Mackie's of Scotland.

The systemwill replace the existing freezing plant at the business's Aberdeenshire plant.It will be the first large-scale ice cream production plant in Scotland to combine biomass heating and absorption cooling, supporting Mackie's aim to cut CO2emissions by 90% and deliver savings in energy costs of 70%-80%.

Mackie's produces more than ten million litres of ice cream annually. The new cooling system will be one of the most advanced in Europe and will use ammonia to replace the high-GWP partially halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) gases used in its refrigeration systems. Ammonia is a natural, environmentally friendly refrigerant that has no impact on global warming or ozone depletion.

Renewable energy

"Our corporate vision includes the goal of being the most environmentally friendly company in the UK," says Mackie's finance director Gerry Stephens. "Over the years we have invested locally in renewable energy, including four wind turbines and the largest solar farm in Scotland.

"As our energy needs grow with us, we are excited about this innovative combination of technology and environmentally friendly refrigeration. It represents the final step in our efforts to become self-sufficient in renewable energy."

Malcolm Coates, safety and environmental manager at J&E Hall, which designs, makes and installs ammonia-based refrigeration systems, sums up some of the benefits of ammonia: "Primarily, it is a natural refrigerant which does not deplete the ozone layer and has excellent thermodynamic qualities which give it a wide temperature range.

"Ammonia has fantastic thermodynamic properties, is widely available and can be employed at very low temperatures as low as -40C in some instances. It is cheap to buy and use which means it can make a significant impact on energy bills. This can make a big difference to the bottom line at a large scale food processing operation."

Originally posted here:
Carbon footprints in the snow: refrigeration and climate change - FoodManufacture.co.uk

Variable Speed Technology is Trending in Tomorrows Motors | 2020-11-26 | ACHR News This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more. This Website Uses CookiesBy closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn MoreThis website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

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For many, surviving the summer is easier when theyre sitting by the AC and cooling down. But if you dont have one, working out how to get the right one isnt easy.

Its getting crazy warm outside, but if you have an air conditioner, you probably cant feel it. If youre sitting inside, the doors closed, the AC on full blast, chilling with the TV on and a drink in your hands, the outside is just a menagerie you need not deal with.

Spare a thought for everyone else without air conditioning, suffering through what may feel like an intolerable burst of heat that seemingly never sends.

Its not even properly summer yet, and the heat in Sydney this journalist is writing in is already taking on properties like a furnace: venture outside, and any hope for a cool breeze to settle the soul is dashed by a blast of hot air not far from the force of a furnace. You clearly have to go places and face the outdoors, but the times you dont shouldnt have to be a struggle for sanity amidst searing and stark settings.

Fans can help, but typically fans will chop the air, releasing a small burst likened more to a breeze. Fans dont typically lower the temperature by much, and even Dysons air multiplier fan which speeds up the air through a small motor in the bottom can really only move the mercury by a couple of degrees, so if you need a big jump if youre looking to move that ugly 35 or higher down to a comfy 22 youre going to need to move to bigger guns, and bring out the air conditioner.

Unfortunately, working out which youre buying isnt easy, and may be more difficult than you expect. So what are the steps, what do the numbers mean, and how do you get to the point where an air conditioner can keep you cool for the summer?

Air conditioners can be complex, and almost unnecessarily so. Theyre almost impossible to work out by yourself, unlike a fan, which is typically just something you buy and place in front of you, hoping for the best. That doesnt work tremendously well, though, so it wouldnt surprise us if you made your way to buying an AC unit pretty quickly, with the questions following shortly: which unit, how big, and how much, among others.

But you know your home best, and you know your needs better than anyone coming in, so when it comes time to consider an air conditioner, think about your comfort in the rooms of your home. Will you need cool air where you spend much of your time, such as in the living room where the TV is? What about the bedroom, and the bedroom of your kids? Sleeping is important, while the night air will drop those high temperatures, it still may be unbelievably sticky and hot, making sleep just that much more difficult.

Knowing where you want to place the unit and how big the space is are just two of the questions youre going to need to answer, and it will likely be made with your home and your wallet in mind, because air conditioners are a surprisingly complex beast, covering not just size and cost, but long-term flexibility, starting with the type of AC unit you want.

There are four types of air conditioners out in the world, but three of them require some work to install them, and likely an electrician, particularly one that specialises in AC unit installation.

The obvious one that doesnt is the portable air conditioner, which provides some solace for small rooms and renters, and could be the ideal solution for folks who dont have permission to install something big (and who dont want to leave it behind anyway). These typically sit against a window or a door, a small hose trailing outside, and while they can cool a room, they can also be loud, and arent likely to be as effective as a bigger AC unit, which can blend into the surroundings a little more than the portable can, and make more of a dent on the air in your home faster and easier.

For that, you need to turn to one of three solutions: window, split, or ducted. Each is different, and has reasons why youd choose one over the other.

Wall mounted air conditioning systems are the most popular type of system, particularly when only one or two rooms need to be cooled or heated, for example a living room or bedroom. Split systems are available in a range of sizes, and an air conditioning specialist can help consumers select the right size for their requirements, said Kyle Rafter, National Product Manager for Fujitsu General Australia, telling Pickr the differences in the technology can cover how your home has its air treated. Specifically, he pointed out how zone controlling works, with this able to be used in ducted systems to heat or cool areas, rather than specific rooms. It can mean cooling a room directly is possible with wall, window, and ducted systems, while ducted can aim to cool parts of a house collectively, which can help handle costs.

Ducted reverse cycle air conditioning is a whole home comfort solution, he said. Using a single system that is concealed in the ceiling or floor cavity, its quiet, easy to operate, and is an energy efficient solution to heat or cool multiple rooms, or the entire home, using the selected zone controller, he said.

Because ducted is a house-wide solution, it may actually be more expensive to set up and install, since every room features a vent to distribute the air, both cooling and heating, as well as the system to control the air in, which typically goes in the roof. Wall-mounted options are a little more direct, mounting an air conditioner to either a wall and splitting the system so its both inside and outside, while a window-mounted is similar in that it joins the unit pieces together and mounts them to a window.

For many, ducted air conditioners are seen as a bit of the holy grail for air conditioning, because they require more thought and planning, and can deal with controlling the entire homes air treatment needs. In winter, the home can be warm, while summer can be cool, and you can handle rooms specifically. But theyre not ideal for every circumstance.

Even if there is an accessible ceiling, a ducted system might not be the most appropriate in some instances, said Joe De Bella, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Panasonic Australias Air Conditioning Group.

For residences in the far north of Australia (where roof space temperatures are so hot that ducted systems will lose efficiency), the typical installation would have an individual split or window/wall for each room, he said.

When it comes to comparing window/wall and split systems, window/wall units are the cheapest option but are generally much louder than split systems, as all the equipment is built into one box which either pokes through a wall or window. However, split systems are much quieter and are a better aesthetic fit for the modern Australian home. These units also boast better ease of use and air filtration features in comparison to window/wall products which tend to be more basic in their offering.

Picking which one you want can help determine how it looks in your home, how much youre spending, and the sort of air treatment your home will receive. How to pick that air conditioner style comes with having an idea of what type of unit you want in the first place, and whether you want to make a dent to specific rooms or the entire home. But then thats not even the extent of the air conditioner selection dilemma, because there are other factors.

While a ducted system will almost alway be handled by a specialist, you may be all about buying an AC unit and then getting it installed, and that will lead you down the path of needing to understand how air conditioners cool rooms, and how big of a system you need, so how do you choose the right size?

Glance at the online listings for air conditioners, and youll find a bunch of numbers and no real explanation: 2.5kW, 5kW, 7kW, 8kW? What do they mean, and is a bigger number right for you? Does it make a difference?

These are kilowatt numbers, and tell you just how powerful an air conditioner unit will be to deliver air to your home. Kilowatts can directly relate to energy usage, because the lower the number, the less energy and power it has to work with, while the higher is the opposite. Thats pretty basic logic, and much like how a car with a bigger and more capable engine is typically capable of more speed, there are also other factors.

You see, picking the right sized air conditioner for your home is where the process can get a little complex. If youre trying to cool your home down on the cheap, your first inclination might be to get the lowest power AC unit you can find because theyre also the least expensive, but doing so may not deliver the cool air you yearn for. Rather, an air conditioner with a lower kilowatt rating set to cool a small room may be fine, but stick it into a big room and it may not even achieve the temperature you aim to hit.

Those kilowatt ratings are often tied directly to how much surface area they can cover, and also how quickly they can achieve the temperature you need. While a bigger kilowatt number on an air conditioner can also cover more space, it may handle the smaller spaces more effectively than a smaller model, able to run for less time because it has the ability to use more power to get to a lower temperature more efficiently. It could be the difference between running a lower kilowatt AC system all day to keep your home cool, and a higher kilowatt model to get it cool in minutes.

In the car analogy, a bigger engine may also be able to hit the same speed as the smaller engine in a shorter time frame, giving you an idea of how more power can be used for smaller metrics in a faster way. It doesnt necessarily mean you need a bigger AC unit for your home, but does mean that if you buy an air conditioner that hasnt been sized properly for the space you intend to cool, the AC unit may not reach its full potential, and could keep running non stop, still unable to hit the temperature you desire.

Its important to get the right sized system as a unit too small for the space may work harder to run, and a unit too large for a space may use unnecessary energy, said Linda Louskos, Air Conditioning Marketing Manager for LG Electronics in Australia.

We recommend consumers contact an air conditioning specialist to come to your home and provide an obligation free measure and quote to suit the home.

No matter how many questions we asked, air conditioning specialists from across the industry would invariably come back to something youd likely want to do: bring someone in. Bring in someone to get an understanding of your needs, who would also very likely to be the person that would install the unit.

Even if you understand what your home needs, even if you know how big of an AC system you need to buy for your home, and even if you know where youre going to place it in the living room, in the bed room, etc theres a good chance that you wont be buying an air conditioner system without a bit of help. Specifically, you may need a specialist to come through and work out what your needs are, as thats how air conditioners are matched for a home.

It was a fairly consistent answer, though not seemingly just because air conditioner installers will want you to go through them, but because it might make the different between an air conditioner cooling a room, and an air conditioner cooling a room well. While you may well be able to judge whats needed because you understand your room, there may actually be more to it, and thats where a specialist comes in.

Panasonics Joe De Bella told Pickr that air conditioner specialists and sellers typically have a way of determining the factors needed for a homes new air conditioning, and that building construction, size, layout, and windows in the home can help them work out where to place a unit for maximum efficiency, complete with specialise software helping them to work it out.

Most sellers of air conditioning units will have a method of calculating these determinants for the consumer, he said. This might be a heat load calculation software Panasonic offers an App which gives an indication of the correct unit required based on a series of questions answered by a consumer or as simple as a mathematic equation which multiplies the square meters of the room.

Many industry experts are also capable of judging the needs of a room based on their experience. These factors will give an accurate indication as to which unit is most suitable for that building or space, said Bella.

It is important to note that these methods of calculation are most true for single room units. When it comes to ducted systems, it can be a more complex exercise.

Then theres the next problem of your energy bills, because owning an air conditioner system can lead to increased electricity usage. That should come as no surprise, since air conditioners can use a lot of energy to keep things cool, and it even goes right back to those kilowatt numbers we mentioned earlier.

A lower number of kilowatts might mean an immediate savings on the cost of buying the AC unit, but it also might lead to increased energy costs because youve had to leave the air conditioner on to keep the house cool. Meanwhile, a larger kW number will use more energy to get the home to the desired temperature, but even thats not the be-all, end-all for working out the numbers.

Larger kW air conditioning units will cost more to run than smaller units. However, choosing the correct size unit is critical to ensure the unit runs at its peak performance, said Atesh Mani, National Product Manager for Mitsubishi Electric Australia.

A unit that is too small will be forced to run at maximum capacity all of the time, potentially using more energy than whats required, [whereas] a unit that is too big will reach the set temperature and turn off more frequently which is not good for the health of the unit, he said. A system that is the correct capacity and is an inverter type will only use the required energy and ramp up and down as required.

Inverter technology may end up being how people deal with this problem, as it essentially acts like a throttling system for air treatment systems. The systems go to the full energy capacity to hit the desired temperature, and then pull back, throttling the load. When a temperature it reached, the system adjusts and lowers the energy output to ensure the temperature stays the same.

If all your doors and windows are closed, its entirely possible you could keep the system running without doing much of anything in the background the moment the inverter has finished that first run at needing energy, and its something Fujistus Kyle Rafter told Pickr can be more useful for homes, particularly when it comes to costing less on energy usage.

DC inverter technology makes an air conditioning system far more efficient than those using conventional technology, he said.

Consumers should request a heat load assessment when they visit a specialist. This is to ensure the correct size and type of air conditioning system is selected and installed to ensure the most efficient unit for the consumers needs is selected.

In essence, finding the right sized air conditioner for your home can be about finding the right balance for the area the air conditioner intends to cool, or even warm. Units able to handle both heating and cooling will typically have different energy capabilities between both, with the cooling technology running at a lower maximum compared to the heating. Both are taxing to energy, but as an example, a 3.5kW air conditioner that can both cool and heat may end up supporting at much as 4.3kW for heating alone, and can mean costs will be more significant over the winter months.

Working out how much energy an air conditioner will cost you over the long term is definitely something you should factor in, though its also something the Australian government has helped out in.

Youve probably seen the star ratings and numbers on appliances giving you an energy rating, and this can help be used as a guide for how your energy usage will work with any appliance, not just an air conditioner. However the government also offers an energy usage calculator to help Australians work out how much energy will be used, and how much an air conditioner will make a dent on their energy costs a over a ten year period.

Then theres the matter of extra features, something air conditioners havent always had. Keep in mind that the main focus on an air conditioners is to cool and heat your home, but you can specifically pick units that only focus on cooling, and then other models that handle cooling and heating.

For most of Australia, the two-in-one device makes the most sense, but if youre living in a part of the country where the mercury never really drops, you might be able to skip the heating component and save some money in the process. Alternatively, if you live in a place that gets cold, but doesnt need to be something your rooms have to be always warm with such as in a bedroom, where you can use a small automatically timed heater or a are happy to bundle up using quilts and a big bed cover you may opt for the cooling-only unit.

But there are also other features these days worth considering, such as supporting smart home features. Typically this will mean a way of connecting to a home assistant technology, such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit, and means you can control your homes air conditioning using your phone or voice. Think of it less as a set and forget mentality, but rather able to switch on the AC as you leave work or picking up your kids from school, knowing the house will have started cooling before you get home, rather than running all day. All from your phone.

It can go beyond needing the smarts built into your air conditioner. Newer thermostats can add that technology to an air conditioner, since not every manufacturer supports it in every unit, while some venture beyond merely standard AC design, opting to change the way an air conditioner blows air out into your room, and onto your skin.

This can all make for a dizzying amount of things to consider when it comes time to actually make the decision and buy an air conditioner, which is ultimately where it all gets to.

But it does come back to four key questions you need to answer for solving an air conditioner conundrum:

Answer those four questions as a bit of an air conditioner checklist, and youll have a firm idea of which system makes the most sense for your home. Think of them as the important factors that can help an AC unit do its job more effectively, and think about where in your rooms the unit would be placed to do a better job. A hallway may distribute air to every room if the kilowatt number is high enough, but youll want to keep those doors open, at least when its beginning, before locking it in. Walls can understandably impact and shape air flow, and so theres clearly a lot to consider.

Alternatively, consider contacting an air conditioner specialist if youre not sure youll have the best understanding of requirements for your home, and if you want them to run their fancy formulas and numbers over your home to get the optimum air conditioner approach.

You might glance at your home and figure youve got this, buying the model that works best in your mind, because, as weve noted earlier, you know your home. In practical use, you knowledge of your home combined with an inexperience of air conditioners could lead to anything but, and deliver some of the desired outcome cool air for parts of your home but not the best whole-home air conditioning experience.

While were hesitant to recommend a specialist above all, the reality is you need to go with what you feel comfortable with, whether that means buying an AC unit and hiring a sparky to make your home as cool as can be in the quickest of time frames, or booking in for a specialist to make it happen, and having them guide you to the outcome that works best for your situation.

After all, there are only so many things you can do to cool yourself down on a summer day, and as the mercury rises, knowing there was something you could have done to add an AC system to your home can only satisfy you until you make it happen.

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Cool for the summer: how to buy an air conditioner Pickr - Pickr

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Key Drivers and Restraints of Global Automotive Integrated Window Blinds Market

Side-windows segment accounted for notable share of automotive integrated window blinds market

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Automotive Integrated Window Blinds Market 2020 Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2019 2027 - Cheshire Media

By City of Muncie Communications

Muncie, INIn less than 5 years, the Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization has made great strides in accomplishing its primary goal of raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law and eliminating illegal infant abandonment. On Saturday, November 7th, that mission was celebrated as the 50th Safe Haven Baby Box in the nation went live in Muncie, Indiana. Two babies that were surrendered under Indianas Safe Haven Law were in attendance at the event along with their adoptive families. The Safe Haven Baby Box is located at Muncie Fire Station #1, at 421 East Jackson Street and will be made available to the public after the community unveiling.

Indiana leads the nation with 46 Safe Haven Baby Boxes available at hospitals and fire stations and the number of available Baby Boxes has more than doubled since the end of 2019. Several communities in Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Arkansas have plans to install Safe Haven Baby Boxes within the next year and many legislators in other states are currently analyzing or considering updating their Safe Haven Laws to allow for devices like a Baby Box.Click here for Safe Haven Baby Box locations.

Safe Haven Baby Box Inc. is a non-profit founded by firefighter/medic Monica Kelsey. Kelsey was abandoned as an infant and founded the organization after seeing illegal abandonment throughout the country despite the existence of the Safe Haven laws for almost 20 years. Kelsey created a program that goes beyond the Baby Box by offering a Safe Haven National Crisis Hotline available (1-866-99BABY1), providing direct access to counseling services to those in desperate situations who may believe they have nowhere else to turn. Safe Haven Baby Boxes receives calls from all states in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Educating communities is a top priority for the organization, which offers Safe Haven education programs to hospitals, fire stations, and schools. While social media and billboards offer awareness opportunities to others, the very presence of the Safe Haven Baby Box proves to be an effective way to increase the overall understanding of the Safe Haven Law and the additional resource for a safe and anonymous surrender.

The Safe Haven Baby Box at Muncie Fire Station #1

The Safe Haven Law in Indiana allows a person to surrender a healthy newborn 30 days old or younger without fear of criminal prosecution. Kelsey wants parents in crisis to have the necessary resources to give them a chance to find help. We know a parent is struggling with the hardest decision of their life and we are available to walk alongside anyone who feels there is no other option than to surrender the infant. Counseling and support services are available and have been used before and after a parent decides to have an adoption plan, to parent, or to surrender under the Safe Haven Law, says Kelsey.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes program costs approximately $15,000 with the installation. Funds for implementing the Safe Haven Baby Boxes program at the Muncie Fire Station were donated by Prevent Child Abuse Council of Delaware County. I would like to thank everybody involved with the Safe Haven Baby Box. The Muncie Fire Department is honored to be a part of such a great project and look forward to serving the Muncie community in this endeavor and other worthwhile projects, says Muncie Fire Chief, David Miller.

Before the first available Safe Haven Baby Box in early 2016, Indiana averaged 2 to 3 infants abandoned a year with many of them found deceased. Since then, Indiana has not had a deceased infant reported from abandonment. Nine infants have been surrendered in a Safe Haven Baby Box since November 2017. Five of the nine have taken place in 2020. The Baby Boxes have a heating and cooling feature and are equipped with alarm systems to notify 9-1-1 once the infant is placed in the medical bassinet. The newborn is retrieved from the inside of the building within minutes of the alarm notification and taken to the hospital for evaluation. Babies that are surrendered are typically in foster care for approximately a month, then placed in their permanent home.

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Safe Haven Baby Box Installed at Muncie Fire Station #1 Muncie Journal - Muncie Journal