Hotel Internet Services(HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has today announced its unveiling of IoT Solutions for Hospitality, an advanced platform providing hotel businesses with the ability to monitor and control all IoT-based operations and services from a single user-interface. With IoT Solutions for Hospitality, hoteliers can now significantly sidestep the complications that come with managing a multitude of smart devices and can instead look forward to even greater efficiency, responsiveness to guest requests and savings on utility and maintenance expenses.

Designed specifically to address the hotel industry’s ever-expanding IoT technology needs, IoT Solutions for Hospitality is significantly engineered to serve as a robust and flexible platform with a wide range of IoT device and service implementation options. From its intuitive dashboard, hoteliers can monitor the performance of onsite equipment using predictive maintenance sensors that can instantly alert staff to any issues requiring immediate attention and before repair costs escalate. The platform also offers location-based staff panic button functionality in order for hoteliers to more swiftly respond to situations where employees are at risk of harm. Other IoT-based devices and services that the solution offers further include:

• Faster and more responsive guest serviceby issuing real-time alerts for when inventory levels are in need of a restock.
• Indoor asset tracking in order to monitor the precise whereabouts of high-value assets and ensure that amenities are readily available for guests.
• Temperature monitoringfor refrigerators and freezers to prevent perishable inventory from spoiling and to ensure food safety compliance.
• Leak detection to prevent any water damage leading to costly repairs.
• Legionella Monitoring
  for water sources that ensures temperatures are within the correct range to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria.
• HVAC and indoor air quality monitoring that ensures an optimal environment, provides staff with reminders to change air filters and minimizes energy consumption.

“Hotel professionals more than ever recognize the tremendous value that IoT-based solutions can provide to their operations, but they are now encountering a new challenge that comes with having to monitor and manage a vast array of different systems which IoT Solutions for Hospitality is designed to fully resolve,” said Gary Patrick, CEO of Hotel Internet Services. “Using our advanced and fully comprehensive platform, hoteliers can consistently achieve the full benefits of transitioning to an IoT-enabled business environment without burdening employees with the time-consuming process of individually overseeing a multitude of devices, dashboards and sensors.”

A web-based portal featuring a swift and simple setup, IoT Solutions for Hospitality provides hoteliers with the ability to mix and match sensors and other smart devices according to specific business and guest service needs. With 24/7 monitoring and support, the platform further ensures that no issue affecting the efficient flow of operations or guest service quality is ever missed.

For more information about the full range of technology solutions available from Hotel Internet Services, please contact Shelly Chandler at 866-265-7575 Ext. 737 or email [email protected]

About Hotel Internet Services, Inc.

Serving hospitality’s full connectivity needs since 2003, Hotel Internet Services, Inc. (HIS) is a leading provider of next generation communications technology including high-speed internet access, the latest in guestroom entertainment and contactless service, IOT and security systems. Backed by 24/7 guest service monitoring and support, HIS innovations not only include cutting-edge network technology that can address the highest of guest expectations, but also BeyondTV and GuestCast which are the industry’s most advanced and flexible platforms for ensuring the ultimate in-room entertainment experience and access to hotel services. In addition to hotels and resorts, HIS also provides equipment and services to casinos, military and student housing, senior housing, timeshares, condos, conference centers, apartments, fitness centers and many other commercial venues.

As the industry’s most trusted go-to provider for the latest in network connectivity and IoT-based innovation, HIS is credited with successfully enhancing the online capabilities and guest satisfaction rates for countless hotels and resorts across the U.S. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, HIS offers services throughout North America, Australia, Latin America and several countries throughout Europe.

Shelly Chandler
Director of Sales and Marketing

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According to a new study by the University of Sydney, electric fans are an effective and sustainable choice to circulate air indoors as compared to air conditioners without sacrificing comfort. The findings of the study were conducted by an international team of experts from the University of Sydney alongside Monash University, the University of Newcastle and Radboud University Medical Center, based in the Netherlands in the journal, ‘The Lancet Planetary Health’.

The study has found using indoor fans more often allows people to reduce their air conditioner use without changing how hot they feel, paving a way for reducing future energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. By using indoor fans, the indoor temperature threshold before it becomes uncomfortable for humans (and the main reason why we reach for the air conditioner remote during hot weather) can increase by 3 to 4 degrees C more than air conditioners use alone.

Researchers also conducted a cost-benefit analysis on the environmental impact and found the total benefit of using fans to reduce air conditioner use (from a greenhouse emissions perspective) surpassed even the switch from incandescent light bulbs to LEDs. Modelling led by the University of Sydney found that just slightly increasing indoor air movement by fans can reduce electricity consumption and the associated yearly cost of cooling indoor spaces with air conditioners in Australia by approximately 70 per cent.

Despite warmer indoor conditions because of less air conditioner use — the study found using fans still maintained the same comfort levels as a lower indoor temperature with regular air conditioner use. The work showcases how making the switch to widespread indoor fan use can potentially reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions.

The key lies in the fundamental way electric fans operate to cool the human body compared to air conditioners. Electric fans generate higher airspeeds across the skin surface to achieve a higher heat loss despite warmer temperatures, whilst air conditioners by themselves lower temperatures with little air movement. “Through their sole purpose of lowering air temperatures, air conditioners feed a cycle of high electricity consumption — often delivered by fossil fuel power stations that in turn contribute to further increases in emissions,” said co-senior author Professor Ollie Jay, Director of the Heat and Health Research Incubator in the Faculty of Medicine and Health.

“The latest ‘IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Mitigation of Climate Change’ emphasises the need for adoption of low-emission lifestyles, including cooling choices for thermal comfort,” said lead author Dr Arunima Malik, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability at the School of Physics and Business School. “Our study confirms that low-cost solutions such as fans have the potential to contribute emission reductions for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement”.

The researchers compared the energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions by modelling five scenarios with different combinations of fan and air conditioner use. This included situations with fans operating at different speed settings. After logging data on the impact of the fans on human comfort levels before they begin to feel discomfort, the number of hours above the thermal comfort limit was calculated to determine air conditioner usage, and associated energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

“To carry out this calculation we needed to process hourly temperature data for an entire year, for the entire continent on a 150,000-cell raster grid. We were able to do this using supercomputer,” said co-senior author Professor Manfred Lenzen of the School of Physics. They found that operating fans with airspeeds of 1*2 m/s with occasional air conditioner use, compared with air conditioners alone, resulted in a 76 per cent reduction in energy use (from 5592 GWh to 1344 GWh) and associated greenhouse gas emissions (5091 kilotonnes to 1208 kilotonnes).

“We know that curbing greenhouse gas emissions is the only way we will limit future global warming,” said Professor Jay. “By increasing indoor air movement with fans, you can feel the same at a higher temperature as you will do at a lower temperature using an air conditioning unit. This is a really easy thing that most people can do now to help reduce the prodigious emissions associated with cooling homes and indoor spaces in Australia,” added Professor Jay. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Riverdale, NJ, April 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Production processes in commercial bakeries can generate high volumes of flour dust and other particles around the equipment and even throughout the facility. Maintaining proper indoor air quality is needed to protect food from contamination and minimize health risks for workers. This is best achieved by using appropriate air filtration and ventilation.

The new resource for commercial bakers covers:

• Dust Dangers in Commercial Bakeries
• Bioaerosol Hazards in Commercial Bakeries
• Managing Air Filtration and Airflow in Commercial Bakeries
• Air Cleaning Solutions Best Suited for Commercial Bakeries
• How Camfil CamCleaner Clears Bakery Facility Air With Case Studies

Read the full web resource here:

About Camfil Clean Air Solutions

For more than half a century, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, we provide commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that improve worker and equipment productivity, minimize energy use, and benefit human health and the environment.

We firmly believe that the best solutions for our customers are the best solutions for our planet, too. That’s why at every step of the way—from design to delivery and across the product life cycle —we consider the impact of what we do on people and on the world around us. Through a fresh approach to problem-solving, innovative design, precise process control and a strong customer focus we aim to conserve more, use less and find better ways—so we can all breathe easier.

The Camfil Group is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has 31​ manufacturing sites, six R&D centers, local sales offices in 35+ countries, and about 5,200 employees and growing. We proudly serve and support customers in a wide variety of industries and communities across the world. To discover how Camfil USA can help you to protect people, processes and the environment, visit us at www.camfil.us/.

Commercial Bakeries can contact the nearest Camfil Location here https://cleanair.camfil.us/locations/

Media Contact:

Lynne Laake

Camfil USA Air Filters

T: 888.599.6620

E: [email protected]

F: Friend Camfil USA on Facebook

T: Follow Camfil USA on Twitter

Y: Watch Camfil Videos on YouTube

L: Follow our LinkedIn Page

Newsroom: hvacairfiilters.submitmypressrelease.com

Via KISS PR Distribution – Media Contact: [email protected]

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There are five major wildfires burning across New Mexico from Mora County in the north to Lincoln County in the south. As the air gets smoky, there are steps you can take to stay safe.

When the winds pick up, smoke from wildfires can travel great distances, putting residents otherwise out of harm’s way at risk for hazardous air quality.

Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, Alyssa Clements, says while Monday’s gusts were somewhat calmer, New Mexicans are not in the clear.

“We are looking at another very windy pattern upcoming this week,” she said. “So, air quality is certainly going to be a concern.”

Clements says limiting exposure by reducing the amount of time spent outside is key.

“Avoid exercising outdoors,” she said. “Maybe stay inside for the day, close your windows.”

While staying inside, the New Mexico Department of Health’s Environmental Public Health Tracking program’s website recommends not decreasing the quality of the indoor air with fragrances; things that create smoke like tobacco, fireplaces or candles; or vacuuming, which can stir up the particles.

As the summer sets in, the state says those with air conditioners should set them to recirculate the air and keep the filters clean. EPHT says swamp coolers are different and they shouldn’t be run at all due to the size of their filters’ holes.

In a statement released Friday, DOH recommended those with swamp coolers seek shelter where there’s AC when it’s too hot inside but too smokey outside, like at a library, community center or friend’s home.

And if you have to go outside? Clements says strap on a familiar tool during the pandemic.

“N95 masks [and] KN95 masks that a lot of people have now are great,” she said. “Those can help filter out those particles.”

The EPHT’s 5-3-1 Visibility Method is one way to gauge how hazardous the air outside is. The lower the visibility is at the five-, three- and one-mile mark, the higher the risk. If you can only see landmarks one mile away, it’s recommended you stay inside regardless of age or health status.

The program has developed a map tool for residents to use to measure the various distances from their current location. You can also find daily updates on the air quality in your community here.

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of respiratory conditions that can be caused by smoking and inhaling toxic fumes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it’s the third leading cause of death worldwide.

Burning propane and other fuels for cooking and heating can cause pollution inside your home, especially if your home isn’t well ventilated.

When propane is burned, it releases carbon monoxide, nitric dioxide, and other toxic chemicals. These chemicals can all increase the risk of COPD. If you already have COPD, they cause a flare-up of your symptoms.

Keep reading to learn more about propane and COPD, as well as how to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals from this heating source.

Only about 5 percent of homes in the United States are heated with propane — also called liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). LPG is primarily used in the Northeast and in rural areas.

But despite the limited use of propane in the United States, there’s substantial evidence that breathing in small particles called particulate matter (PM) from air pollution, including the particles that come from burning propane fuel, is a risk factor for COPD.

These particles form as a byproduct of burning fuels for heating or cooking. They’re small enough that they can penetrate your lungs deeply.

Continuous exposure to these molecules can cause inflammation and damage to your lungs. This, in turn, can lead to COPD or cause COPD symptoms to flare up.

Harmful chemicals in propane heat

Propane produces less particulate matter than biomass fuels, like charcoal and wood. But propane can still produce other chemicals, such as nitric dioxide and carbon monoxide, that can damage your lungs. Nitric dioxide is especially associated with the development and worsening of COPD.

A 2020 study found that improved household ventilation was associated with a much lower risk of death from all causes — including respiratory diseases. This suggests that even clean cooking fuels, like propane, can damage your lungs, even if they’re less harmful than biomass fuels.

And a 2021 study found that nitric dioxide levels were significantly lower in the kitchens of homes in Peru that used propane compared with homes that used biomass fuel. But they also found that 69 percent of kitchens still had nitric dioxide levels higher than the WHO guidelines.

Propane isn’t toxic when inhaled. But over time, propane can displace oxygen in your airways and make it harder to breathe.

People with COPD may be more sensitive to changes in the air than people who don’t have COPD.

Low levels of propane exposure can cause:

In high amounts, propane exposure can cause more severe symptoms. Seek emergency medical attention if you experience:

Propane exposure can potentially contribute to a worsening of your COPD symptoms.

If you experience a COPD flare-up, follow any action plans you’ve created with your doctor. Treatment of your COPD symptoms may include one or more of the following:

• using your rescue inhaler to relax the muscles in your airways
• taking oral corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in your lungs
• using an oxygen tank to get more oxygen into your lungs

Important

If these treatments don’t provide relief, call 911 or seek emergency medical attention right away.

Electricity is the cleanest energy source you can use for your home that doesn’t cause any household air pollution. Propane and natural gas are considered clean burning energy sources, but they still create some pollution during use.

Biomass fuels cause the most household pollution. But charcoal may be a cleaner burning source than wood, coal, and animal dung.

No matter which fuel source you’re using, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated when cooking with any fuel that creates smoke, gas, or any other kind of indoor air pollution. This can help minimize the amount of particulate matter and other chemicals you breathe that may trigger COPD symptoms.

Breathing in pollution caused by burning fuels in the home can cause COPD and may worsen existing symptoms. Propane produces less household air pollution than other biomass fuels, but it still produces enough particulate matter to be a possible cause for concern.

You’re at especially high risk of breathing in high amounts of propane pollution if you cook in a poorly ventilated location. Try to minimize air pollution by keeping your home and kitchen well-ventilated.

If you experience a flare-up of your COPD symptoms, follow your COPD action plan and seek emergency attention if home treatments don’t provide relief.

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Growing up in Brazil, Karolina Cysneiros de Carvalho dreamed that one day she would be a cardiac surgeon. 

“I knew I wanted to help people and doctors help people,” recalls Cysneiros de Carvalho. “But I realized I was much better at math than biology. That’s when I decided to follow the path of engineering.” 

Cysneiros de Carvalho is now earning a doctorate in energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering. Recently, she and Brent Williams, associate professor and leading pollution expert, joined 50 scientists from across the globe in Fairbanks, Alaska, to study how cold and dark conditions contribute to the city’s dirty air, which is some of the worst in the nation. The ongoing project is called the Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis project or ALPACA.

Cysneiros de Carvalho is especially interested in how pollution changes as it travels from the frigid outside to the warm indoors. So she designed, wired and programmed a one-of-a-kind instrument that tracks changes in chemical compounds as they infiltrate a structure. No less daunting, she found a way to safely transport the instrument from her lab on campus to Fairbanks, some 3,000 miles away. Indoor air pollution, she explains, has a huge impact on human health.

“When people think about air pollution exposure, they usually think about outdoor pollution from cars and power plants emissions,” Cysneiros de Carvalho says. “But we’re also exposed to air pollution in our house from daily activities like cooking and cleaning.”

“When Brent talked to me about this project, one of the things that really got my attention was the fact that it’s community-based.”

Karolina Cysneiros de Carvalho

For two months this winter, Cysneiros de Carvalho worked 18-hour days, running experiments in a rented Fairbanks house, measuring how different outdoor weather conditions and indoor activities such as frying chicken changed the indoor pollution. The temperatures hovered near zero degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun only appeared four hours a day — brutal circumstances for someone raised in sunny Brazil. Still, Cysneiros de Carvalho loved the experience. After two years of living through a global pandemic, the study provided Cysneiros de Carvalho her first opportunity as a doctoral student to work with researchers from institutions who share her interest in air pollution. It also offered her the opportunity to help the people of Fairbanks. 

“When Brent talked to me about this project, one of the things that really got my attention was the fact that it’s community-based,” Cysneiros de Carvalho says. “There’s a lot of regulatory studies that just go to a place to get data to create laws. But here, we explained to the residents what was happening and heard their concerns. I hope the data we will provide leads to better air to breathe.” 

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Flcikr / person seo

About 20% of all jobs posted at the beginning of 2022 were for remote work, according to WalletHub.

Even as life gradually returns to normal, 25%-35% of Americans are still working from home. If you fall in that cohort, then you should thank your lucky stars that you’re in Texas, as the state ranks among one of the best for remote workers, according to a new study.

Texas ranks as the No. 7 best state to live in for remote workers, according to a study from WalletHub. The personal finance website cited the state’s high average square footage of homes and low cost of internet service as some of the reasons for the Lone Star State’s spot in the top 10.

The top 10 list of WalletHub’s Best States for Working from Home is as follows:

1. New Jersey
2. District of Columbia
3. Delaware
4. Connecticut
5. Massachusetts
6. Utah
7. Texas
8. Washington
9. Maryland
10. New York

WalletHub compiled the list using 12 key metrics, including the number of telecommuting jobs available and the average cost of living, with New Jersey copping the No.1 spot. Meanwhile, Alaska was ranked as the worst state for remote workers.

Although Texas ranked high in some metrics, it was pretty average when it came to the cost of electricity and household internet access, for which it ranked No. 25 and No. 29, respectively.

According to WalletHub, 20% of all job listings were for remote work at the beginning of 2022.

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Weekly AiThority Roundup: Biggest Machine Learning, Robotic, Automation April Week 2

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The following is a press release from the City of Billings:

BILLINGS – As part of its Billings PCE Superfund site monitoring, the Environmental Protection Agency will begin collecting outdoor air samples this week.

The sampling will be conducted using metal canisters in six city parks, including Mountview Cemetery, Optimist Park, South Park, Community Park, Pioneer Park, and North Park.

The canisters will be in place for 24 hours and will have signage posted nearby to explain why they are there. Residents who spot these canisters should not call emergency services.

While in Billings, the EPA will also continue vapor intrusion sampling that started in March. The EPA, its contractor, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality will collect indoor air samples from about 50 homes and businesses from April 19 to 29.

In early May the EPA will provide an update of activities planned for the rest of that month.

To learn more about the Billings PCE Superfund Site, click here. 

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Kaye Lifestyle Homes recently launched solar home division.

The Naples-based firm, in a statement, says it’s responding to “increased homebuyer requests for innovative building practices that address energy efficiency, sustainability and durability in new home construction.”

Kaye Lifestyle Homes Operations Manager Ben Kaye was named to lead the new division. Key elements of the company’s high-performance homebuilding process, according to the statement, include:

• Extra-thick Foamular insulation applied to all concrete block walls and foundation.
• Top rated R-38 BATT insulated A/C ducts act as a secondary ceiling to bring ductwork adjacent to air-conditioned space and effectively seal the envelop of the home. Additional insulation is applied on the ceiling and in the attic where most heat and energy escapes.
• High efficiency heating and cooling systems — lower tonnage usage results in a lower power draw.
• Heat pump/hybrid water heater. To offset a water heater’s power consumption — one of the biggest power draws in a home — a heat pump installation pulls heat out of the air then uses the energy to efficiently heat water and help reduce power usage by almost 30%.
• Low solar heat gain coefficient windows — dual-pane 185-aluminum single hung windows are specifically manufactured to reduce heat and lower energy.
• Quality indoor air ventilation systems. Extra-thick HEPA and UVA filters, plus a full home ventilated dehumidifier that both decreases humidity and circulates filtered air, effectively doubles as a secondary home ventilation system.
• Energy Star appliances, LED lighting, smart thermostats and low-flow water fixtures.

“High-performance building is one of the top three energy trends in residential construction today,” Ben Kaye says in the statement. “It is a form of green building but one with a focus on energy performance. One of the greatest advantages of building to a high-performance standard is the built-in resilience and durability that comes with an airtight, well-insulated home. Factors such as choosing a basic house shape, roof assembly and the types of materials used all play a part in reducing costs and increasing energy efficiency.”

KLH is one of few Southwest Florida builders offering sustainable and environmentally sensitive solar panels, which, in some cases, include the incentive of a 26% federal tax credit.

Founded in 1985 by Stuart and Jay Kaye, Kaye Lifestyle Homes has built more than 4,000 homes. KLH services include luxury custom homebuilding, 11 Signature and Designer Series home designs ranging in size from 1,127 to 3,500 square feet of living space in three- and four-bedroom configurations, home renovations, a collection of home sites and home financing options. KLH home designs are priced from the $300,000s to more than $5 million.

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