Published 10 December 2020

The Scottish Government has published a consultation intoproposed rules requiring zero emissions heating systems in all new build homes.

The New Build Heat Standardwould mean all new build homes must have heating that produces zero direct greenhouse gas emissions, helping to meet climate change targets.

The measures aim to ensure that heating systems in all new buildings given consent from 2024 are zero-emissions, in line with the recommendation from the UK Committee on Climate Change that this is achieved from 2025 at the latest.

The consultation sets out a range of outcomes for the standard to achieve, including ensuring new homes and non-residential buildings are affordable to heat, supporting the delivery of a continued supply of high quality homes, and offer opportunities for retraining and upskilling workers to install zero emissions heating systems.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: The pace of decarbonising Scotlands domestic and non-domestic buildings has to increase significantly to achieve our targets on climate change. The New Build Heat Standard will be an important contribution to this to ensure emissions from heating and cooling our buildings fall close to zero.

We want to combine the action we need to meet the challenge of the climate emergency with our ambition to provide affordable, warm homes. We are seeking views from stakeholders on the most effective way to introduce this Standard to ensure it is deliverable and fit for purpose.

To support the development of the New Build Heat Standard, an external working group was established to provide advice and expertise to the Scottish Government and this was instrumental during the drafting of the scoping consultation. The group, which features representation across a wide variety of interests and areas, is co-chaired by respected zero carbon buildings expert, Professor Lynne Sullivan OBE.

Professor Sullivan, chair of the Good Homes Alliance, said: We recognised the priority for new buildings to achieve higher efficiency and be ready for zero emissions heating sources, in line with Scotlands world-leading climate commitments.

We welcome the consultation on new homes, and believe the targets are achievable with existing technologies at scale. Delivery will unlock long-term economic benefits as well as future-proof Scottish homes.

The Scottish Greens said Scotland must show more urgency to catch up with many European countries when it comes to warm and efficient housing.

Housing spokesperson Andy Wightman said: The housing minister is right to say that the pace of decarbonising homes needs to increase, but the fact is that Scotland lags well behind many normal European nations on this. New homes should be required to meet passivhaus or other net-zero standards, and public funding should no longer be used to subsidise high-carbon heating systems.

Meanwhile, if we recognise the pace of change needed we have to also recognise that a quarter of homes in Scotland face fuel poverty every year. We need a target on all homes with a programme of deep-retrofits of fuel poor households and social housing, which would create thousands of jobs in the process.

Excerpt from:
New Build Heat Standard proposals open for consultation - Scottish Construction Now

December 9th, 2020 by Jennifer Sensiba

Today, Aptera hosted an online Q&A session, covering a variety of topics about the vehicle. In addition to its announcements from a few days ago, the company also now has a video giving us some much better views of the vehicle (more information below the video).

Pre-Orders Still Going

Pre-orders are still available, but the first versions of the vehicle are sold out. You can get yours here, and save $30 on the reservation fee. CleanTechnica gets a referral, and that helps us get a long-term independent test vehicle. International orders are being accepted (see more toward the bottom of this article).

Grid Charging

We finally got a lot more information about the vehicles charging. First off, Aptera is still selecting components and vendors for the onboard charger, DC fast charging, etc..

Weve seen images (including in the above video) depicting the vehicle with a Tesla plug. When I reached out to Aptera directly, they told me that which plug the vehicle will have is still an open question, so its possible that the Aptera will use Teslas technology and infrastructure. Its also possible that it will go with standard J1772 and/or CCS plugs. During the Q&A, Aptera did say that it may Supercharge, but they also mentioned a 50 kW rate, which is far below what a Tesla Supercharger would give us, so they may have been using that term generically. Either way, its safe to say that the question of Tesla tech is still not decided.

Its apparent that the vehicle is supposed to get about 10 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used from the battery pack. Thus, a 25 kWh pack can go 250 miles, a 40 kWh pack goes 400 miles, etc.. Its simple math to figure out the rest.

On a wall plug, Aptera said it could add about 150 miles of range overnight on a normal 120V wall plug. That works out to about 12 hours of charging, not accounting for losses. In 8 hours, and after charging losses of 10%, it works out to about 100 miles. For nearly all drivers, a wall plug will be enough even without solar charging.

Aptera said it also expects to have 3 kilowatt (kW) and 6 kW onboard chargers, which would give far more range added per hour. With the efficiency, a 6 kW charger would add 60 miles per hour, so even level 2 plugs that are available in more places than level 3 will be far more useful.

A 50 kW station (which is the minimum the company seems to be wanting, but it may have faster onboard chargers) would add 500 miles per hour. Thus, youd get way more range in a 20-30 minute charging session than you get with other vehicles charging at that rate. This makes road trips far more feasible and far less painful than other EVs, and thats with current charging infrastructure.

If Aptera supports faster chargers, this would be even greater for road trips, but we do need to consider that there will be tapering. We dont know what those tapering numbers will look like yet. However, given the efficiency and range, youll probably not need to charge the pack over 60-80% in most cases and will be able to spend more time at peak charging speeds on trips.

An educated guess is that on a 250 kW Supercharger with the 100 kWh pack, you could add 600 miles in 15 minutes or the whole 1000 in about 45 minutes. If you get peak speeds until 60%, that would take the car from almost dead to there in about 15 minutes, and then take another half hour to add the rest (assuming you even need that). A 350 kW charger (like at Electrify America) could probably do the 600 miles in 10 minutes and the whole pack in 35 minutes or so.

In reality, those speeds are probably overkill for this vehicle, but theyd sure be nice for road trips.

Solar Charging

Aptera told us today that with the solar cells covering the back hatch (thats optional), youd end up with a peak of 700 watts, but thats something you wont see much. The company did test the cells in a fake roof for a year before claiming that it adds 40 miles per day, but keep in mind that this testing happened in San Diego.

40 miles per day assumes the system adds 4 kWh of power to the pack. If you take that 700W of panels to places that see more clouds, get less direct sunlight (further north), etc., then you may get a lot less. At the peak of 700 watts, people living in sunny parts further south (especially the southwest), you may even get more than the 40 miles.

Either way, it would take almost a month of charging all day and no driving to fill a 100 kWh pack up. While that sounds very slow, its actually quite useful.

If you drive the car less than the solar cells can add, you can expect to almost never charge it. On good sunny days, youd accumulate rollover miles, while on bad sun days, youd eat into them a bit.

If you drive more than the solar can cover, then theyre still helpful. Youd just have to plug it in less often. Assuming you can park it out in the sun most days, you could watch the charge level, and maybe fill it back up when it gets to 50%, that way you always have some reserve in the tank for emergencies.

When it comes to the solar cells themselves, Aptera hasnt announced who is going to supply the cells yet. It did seem like the company probably has a supplier picked, though. Hopefully soon we can learn more about how efficient the cells are, etc..

Other cool things are that Aptera is aiming for a 10 to 20 year design life, and the system itself weighs very little. After all, theyre mounting the cells to the cars body and not to big glass panels like youd see on a house roof.

The Cooling System Has No Radiator

This one is actually quite cool. On older Aptera designs, they tried to mimic aircraft radiator systems to keep the drag low. That wasnt enough for them, so Aptera found a way to eliminate the radiators completely, which initially sounds absolutely insane for a liquid-cooled battery pack.

Aptera does have a plan to dissipate the heat, though. They told us today that the plan is to have small biologically-inspired channels throughout the cars skin that the coolant gets pumped through. This allows most of the cars exterior to serve as a radiator and allows the cooling system to produce zero drag and no wasted electricity on fans.

Another cool thing about the system is that when the cars exterior frosts, we are likely to see cool fractal patterns on the cars exterior where the heat melts the frost a bit.

How this would work in really hot places is probably an open question at this point, but with that much surface area to dissipate the heat, the cars body could be enough to dissipate heat.

Performance & Versatility

The cars efficiency doesnt mean it will be slow. The 3-motor version will have 150 kW of output, which is close to what the Chevy Bolt puts out. The difference is that the car is half the weight and has far less drag, so it will have much better acceleration. Every time we see numbers on a vehicle like the Aptera, we have to keep in mind that theyre not directly comparable to other manufacturers.

With all this in mind, one of the presenters (jokingly) said, It almost needs a weapons permit.

Another cool thing is that the vehicles design gives it a lot of clearance. Aptera wanted to take advantage of this, so it is also going to offer an off-roading package with sturdier wheel fairings and a higher suspension. One of the cool things about lifting an Aptera is that it is likely to incur little to no drag penalty from doing so. The only thing that may give an off-roading Aptera a range hit would be the extra drag from off-road tires.

Aptera also told us that the vehicle will have a subframe in the rear near the back tire for both towing and being towed. Tow hooks will be available for front and rear to pull you out of the mud or pull a malfunctioning Aptera onto a tow truck. The vehicle will be able to tow a small trailer, but expect a huge range hit unless its a small, light, and aerodynamic trailer.

Safety & Repairs

For crash safety, the vehicle also seems to be very good. Previous versions of the Aptera did undergo federal safety testing (FMVSS), and its improved since then with better materials and design. While very strong, the composites are also able to flex a bit. Even a sledgehammer cant get through, because the materials compress a bit and spring back to shape. In other words, you wont be riding in a cheap plastic egg that youd get smashed up in.

When asked about changing tires, they told us that removing the fender/fairing around a tire will be straightforward, and that once removed, youll get full access to the tire to change it yourself if you need to do so in a hurry.

Because the body has an ability to bounce back, most damage to the car will be skin-deep and can be repaired in pretty standard ways. However, if a wreck gives enough force to actually crack the shell, you can probably expect to replace the vehicle (as it would be totaled).

Infotainment System

Aptera told us today that the infotainment system is going to be powered by Crank Software, based in Canada. The biggest goal is to use the infotainment systems to drive vehicle efficiency, but that doesnt mean the company wants an unprofessional and/or unfriendly user experience. They want all information to be easily available, and to make sure surprises that users may face will be minimized.

While the usual information will be available up front, in-depth vehicle information including diagnostics, repair data, BMS details, etc., will all be available in the menus. The right to repair is a big deal to Aptera, so it is being transparent in ways nobody else is.

Its also worth noting that the infotainment systems will be on an isolated network to protect critical systems, like BMS and drive. The information will be available from those systems, but they wont be wide open to any hacker who gets into the vehicles infotainment system.

Life Support

While its clear that things are still up in the air supplier-wise, we do know that it is working to come up with the most efficient systems it can for heat and A/C, and that it will be an ongoing process even after the first vehicles are delivered.

Resistive heating may be part of the equation, and that could cost a lot of range, but the company is experimenting with heat pumps, directly heating/cooling the driver and passenger, integrating it with the battery cooling system, and various other things to maximize efficiency.

Aptera said that the first year may come with only resistive heating, but that its something it will continue to improve as much as possible.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is a big deal to Aptera. One thing it has done is work with Munro and Associates to make sure it isnt learning by making mistakes other automakers have already made. Design, manufacturing, supply chains, and a good mix of in-house/supplier work are all things Munro is helping it with.

The goal is to have some sub-assemblies ready to install from suppliers, and do the major assembly at its first plant in southern California. Apteras final plant wont be filled with large tooling and big robots like many other automakers. The largest components are all liftable by two people, and it plans on using a smart mix of automation and human labor to get things right. Many pieces are self-aligning with the piece they fit onto, which saves a lot of need for specialized alignment tools.

The bodys four large pieces are the pan, the roof (spider), and the two side panels. Theyre easily bonded together (this sounds like a glue-like process), and then other pre-built sub-assemblies. Between this and what Munro has helped it figure out, Aptera should be able to scale manufacturing relatively easily.

Miscellaneous Other Things

International orders can be made today. While orders coming from outside the US will take more time, the company encourages international customers to go ahead and put in preorders. (You can do that here and get $30 off, and help CleanTechnica get a long-term test vehicle). The company does point out that Polaris was able to get the Slingshot (a three-wheeler of similar size/weight) to most global markets, so it should also be able to do this in a reasonable time frame.

Front-wheel drive vehicles will be available from the beginning, while all-wheel drive (adding a motor to the rear wheel) will be available soon after. Aptera plans to offer the 400-mile version first, followed by the 600-mile version. Finally, it will offer the 250- and 1000-mile packs. They may be upgradeable later.

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Tags: Aptera, Never Charge, solar, Tesla

Jennifer Sensiba Jennifer Sensiba is a long time efficient vehicle enthusiast, writer, and photographer. She grew up around a transmission shop, and has been experimenting with vehicle efficiency since she was 16 and drove a Pontiac Fiero. She likes to explore the Southwest US with her partner, kids, and animals.Follow her on Twitter for her latest articles and other random things: https://twitter.com/JenniferSensibaDo you think I've been helpful in your understanding of Tesla, clean energy, etc? Feel free to use my Tesla referral code to get yourself (and me) some small perks and discounts on their cars and solar products. https://www.tesla.com/referral/jennifer90562

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We Learned A LOT About The Aptera Today - CleanTechnica

Opinion / Leila Molana-Allen

Yemen has been at war for 50 years, my guard Ahmad says, looking over his shoulder as our driver wrestles the pickup trucks front wheel out of yet another pothole. When is it our turn for some peace? In fact, the Shabwa region, linking the mountains of south-central Yemen to the Arabian Sea, has been a comparatively conflict-free spot in the war-torn Arab nation.

Since the civil war began in 2014 the province has in turn played host to government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, as well as al-Qaeda, armed southern separatists and Emirati-backed mercenaries. But since late 2019, when government forces regained control of Shabwa and its capital Ataq, locals have begun to hope that better security could lead to increased prosperity.

Almost everyone I meet during the week-long trip through the areas half-built streets and lush desert valleys speaks in hushed tones of new work opportunities and even the hope that foreign investment might return. New buildings are popping up and the resurrection of public services is planned if not quite under way yet. But those living close to the provinces borders fear as much as they hope. In neighbouring governorates to the north and west, the multi-front, multi-party war that has killed more than 120,000 people rages on and the prospect of the fighting creeping back south is never far away.

Indeed, later the same day we receive word that a car bomb has exploded on the sea road, bringing violence back to an area that had been calm for months. Ahmad might have to wait a little longer for peace sadly there are still plenty of potholes ahead.

Leila Molana-Allen is Monocles Beirut correspondent and reports from throughout the region.

Here is the original post:
Monday 7 December 2020 - The Monocle Minute - Monocle

Ten years ago, Nest introduced its first smart thermostat, the Nest Learning Thermostat, and showed the world what a smart thermostat is capable of. You can use it to automatically program your thermostats schedule, control it with your smartphone or a voice assistant, integrate it with other smart devices in your home like smoke detectors, and have it adjust itself for when youve left the house.

The companys latest model, the simply named $129.99 Nest Thermostat, does away with a lot of the more advanced features in favor of a simpler, more basic design and feature set. But while Googles goal is to appeal to those who havent yet upgraded their ancient programmable thermostat, its stripped out a lot of what makes a connected thermostat smart to begin with.

The most obvious thing Google did was change the design and functionality of the thermostat itself. The Nest Thermostat doesnt have the signature rotating ring of Nests prior models. Instead, you use a touch strip on the right side to adjust temperature and navigate the interface. The touch strip works fine, and the thermostat will emit an audible click as you swipe up or down, but its far less satisfying to use than the dampened ring on the Nest Learning Thermostat. I do prefer it to Ecobees clumsy touchscreen, however.

Also different are the materials: the Nest Thermostat is made entirely of plastic that you can get in four different colors, as opposed to the metal finishes of the older models. Aesthetics are certainly a personal preference, but I like the look of the brushed metal of the older Nest models much better. Its clear that Googles changes here were to bring the price down and make it more accessible than the flagship model that retails for $250 (though it can be found on sale quite regularly).

The front of the Nest Thermostat has a mirrored finish, with a display that shines through it when you are in front of the thermostat or interacting with it. This is not a touchscreen all interaction on the thermostat is done through the touch strip and most of the time, it just sits there on the wall not displaying anything. I was concerned that this mirrored finish would get quite dusty, but in the few weeks Ive been testing the Nest Thermostat, its stayed clean.

When the screen is on, it looks like information is just floating on the mirrored front, a neat effect. It will tell you what the thermostat is currently set to, what temp its reading, and whether it is running the heating or cooling systems to adjust the climate in your home. Tap the side, and you can scroll through the menus to adjust modes, set a hold temperature, and view other settings, though most of the adjustments to scheduling and such are handled through the Google Home app on your smartphone.

The mirrored finish is unbroken, thanks to Googles use of radar-based Soli technology to detect your presence instead of a more traditional motion sensor. But if you look at it from the right angle, mostly from the left side, you can see where the square display is centered under the mirrored panel, breaking the illusion a bit.

The Nest Thermostat doesnt support a number of advanced features found on the higher-end model, including FarSight, which lets you see the current temp or other info from across the room. In practice, this wasnt a problem in my home. The Nest was still able to detect my presence and light up even when I was 10 or more feet away from it.

Installing the Nest Thermostat is very similar to prior models, and Google does a good job of walking you through the process with video tutorials in the app. Certain creature comforts, such as the included screwdriver, have been dropped for this model, and most frustrating of all, it doesnt come with a backing plate to cover up the holes in the wall from your old thermostat. To get one of those, youll need to shell out another $15. (Older models always included it in the box.)

The Nest Thermostat doesnt use the rechargeable lithium battery as other models, instead relying on two AAA batteries that Google says will last up to two years. Google also says it does use the same trickle power feature to draw energy from the HVAC system as the older model, which likely helps extend the life of those two batteries.

In all, it takes about 15 minutes to install and set up the Nest Thermostat, though you can also pay a professional to do it for you.

Set up and control of the Nest Thermostat is handled entirely through the Google Home app; you cant do anything with it in the old Nest app. That may be frustrating for existing Nest customers looking for a single place to monitor all of their devices, but for most new owners, it doesnt matter.

Scheduling the Nest Thermostat is significantly different than how older Nest models work. Instead of relying on the thermostat to determine your patterns and automatically schedule itself, you are prompted to choose temperatures and time blocks when you set it up. This is very similar to how a traditional programmable thermostat works: you put in what times youre home, what times you arent, and when you go to bed, and then set temps for each respective mode. You can also add custom time blocks for more granular controls.

This method will be very familiar to those coming from an old programmable thermostat, but it makes the Nest Thermostat feel quite limited and dumb compared to other smart thermostats. For example, it will not adapt itself if your schedule happens to deviate from your programming because youre home at a different time than usual. Right now, we are home a lot more than we typically are, thanks to pandemic-related lockdowns, but the Nest Thermostat sticks to its programmed schedule no matter what.

The Nest Thermostat does have the ability to go into its energy-saving Eco mode when you arent home by using its own presence detection, geolocation on your phone, or a combination of the two. If the system doesnt see any activity for an hour and your phone location is reporting that youre not home, it will automatically switch to the Eco preset to save energy. Its odd that it cant do the opposite for when you are home unexpectedly.

Another area where the Nest Thermostat is inferior to other models is in support for remote sensors. It just doesnt support them; the only temperature it will set itself to is what it reads from its wall-mounted position. Both the Nest Learning Thermostat and Ecobee line of thermostats can adjust the system based on sensors elsewhere in the home, which provides much more flexibility and control over the climate.

The Nest Thermostat isnt completely dumb. In addition to the smartphone control, you can use either the Google Assistant or Amazons Alexa to adjust the thermostat via voice. It also has built-in energy-saving and comfort features from the other Nest models, including the ability to preheat or cool the home before a scheduled time block starts or circulating the air with the fan to more efficiently use air conditioning. It will also tell you how long it will take the system to reach your selected temperature and will award leaf icons when you program it efficiently though in my home, the only way to get a leaf was to set it uncomfortably cool or warm. It will also prompt you to change filters and do other maintenance to keep the system running efficiently.

In all, the Nest Thermostat is a fine connected thermostat that lets you program and control it with your phone easily. It also can save you money on your heating and cooling bills, thanks to its Eco modes.

But it also feels like a smart thermostat from years ago and isnt as helpful or flexible as other options, even within Nests own lineup. The main appeal for the Nest Thermostat is its price: at $130 and even less if you have a rebate available from your local power company, its a much easier pill to swallow than Nests fancier models or even Ecobees options.

Photography by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Go here to read the rest:
Nest Thermostat review: more simple than smart - The Verge

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

Follow the full story here: https://przen.com/pr/33373272

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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.

More here:
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.

Originally posted here:
Variable Speed Technology is Trending in Tomorrow's Motors - ACHR NEWS