Haier Window Air Conditioners (A/Cs)

Having spent the last few months working from our sofas, dining tables and ironing boards, many of us have become accustomed to the world of remote working. But we’ve now arrived at a point where many businesses are starting to reopen their doors or have plans to do so in the near-future. Employers will be hoping that a return to work will prove productive, reinvigorating the workforce and driving growth. To this end, however, they will need to instill confidence by demonstrating how they can keep employees safe and comfortable. Bringing employees back to work will be complex. For a start, businesses have had to implement a large number of new safety measures in response to COVID-19. However, ensuring safety in the workplace goes beyond adhering to social distancing measures and anti-bacterial cleaning stations. Behind the scenes, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) play a crucial role in facilitating a safe workspace. Whether it’s the systems implemented to limit the spread of the virus, the ongoing servicing of these systems or their wider environmental impact, HVAC solutions and facilities managers (FMs) rest at the heart of a safer return to work. Embracing new strategies for clean air Walking in the building through a new automatic door, most office workers will be greeted with a queue for the lifts and plenty of signage reminding you to sanitise your hands and keep your distance. Some may have their body temperature scanned by a thermal detection camera on entry, which could also count how many people enter to ensure numbers are safe. Others could be met with an anti-virus access point that scans your face using facial recognition rather than a pass, and enforces hand hygiene by dispensing sanitiser before the lifts will open.  Behind the scenes, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) play a crucial role in facilitating a safe workspace All of these measures, however strict, are part of the new normal: ‘contactless’ buildings. Designed to limit the potential spread of COVID-19, facilities managers have plenty of options when it comes to keeping people safe. But not all of them are so apparent when entering a building. Some of the most important measures are those we can’t see. A healthy and safe working environment has always relied on a building’s HVAC infrastructure – temperature control, good air flow, and a reliable level of comfort are top of most office workers’ priority lists. But the pandemic has taken this to a new level of importance. As a critical part of their wider health and safety plan, facilities managers can look to identify strategies to increase clean air levels further. This could include increasing outdoor air circulation to decrease pathogen exposure, with smart air handling units. These will enable managers to bring in more outside air to displace potentially contaminated air, by increasing ventilation and air change rates.  Improving Filtration Methods Improving filtration methods is another possibility, by adding additional filters including high efficiency filters and HEPA filters, to trap more particles and increase the percentage of clean air in a building. Portable HEPA solutions are also an option for those who need more flexibility. In addition to air filtration and circulation, it is also possible to use UV-C lighting to effectively ‘disinfect’ the air or surfaces, using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) to inactivate viral microorganisms. These can be installed brand new or retrofitted into existing facilities, to reduce costs for FMs and speed up implementation. These innovative uses of HVAC to limit the spread of infection could have a huge impact on the health and safety of occupants in any building – and this is by no means limited to offices. Within healthcare and laboratory facilities, for example, solutions like room pressurisation, air change rates, humidity and temperature controls are all critical to reduce contamination in the air and on surfaces. A healthy and safe working environment has always relied on a building’s HVAC infrastructure Safety is an ongoing process No matter which HVAC solutions a facilities manager chooses, it’s not a case of installing them and then waving goodbye. As with any good health and safety strategy, constant monitoring is crucial to ensure building occupants are well looked-after – and this also ensures you can get the most out of HVAC investments. For some this means keeping a close eye on how your HVAC equipment runs, to ensure that they’re reaching optimum performance and delivering the best ROI. Working with a partner who can provide continuous service and monitoring is critical, so that the pressure is off FMs themselves. Especially now, having remote monitoring capabilities is an added bonus, so that minor issues can be fixed without an engineer having to visit the site.  For those with smart technologies in place, such as smart connected chillers, FMs may rather be reliant on predictive maintenance and monitoring tools, which use AI and automation to predict issues before they arise, and ensure equipment runs reliably and downtime can be minimised. Whether in person or remotely, good quality service and maintenance of HVAC equipment goes a long way – both to get the best return on investment, and to keep buildings as safe and comfortable as possible. Enabling a smarter and more sustainable workplace HVAC has always been critical to keeping employees happy and healthy at work – but for a long time this has had a negative impact on the planet. Inefficient HVAC systems can give a building a much bigger carbon footprint than it would ideally have.  75% of organizations plan to increase their investment in energy efficiency and smart building technologies Last year, our Energy Efficiency Indicator survey found that 75% of organizations plan to increase their investment in energy efficiency and smart building technologies. The opportunity, then, to overhaul HVAC systems in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 is also an opportunity to invest in more efficient, greener HVAC technologies, built for the future. Taking a holistic approach to your HVAC equipment is the best way to do this, to ensure efficiency gains can be made across an entire building or estate, by connecting intelligent systems. Chillers, for example, with efficiency and intelligence built in as standard can reduce energy use and carbon emissions for a building, or collection of buildings, helping FMs meet energy targets and keeping costs low. Choosing the optimal HVAC system Under current circumstances, the decisions made by FMs are pivotal in enabling business continuity and will ultimately impact building occupants’ comfort and safety. It should therefore come as no surprise that businesses are paying close attention to every move FMs make. Choosing the optimal HVAC system for your building and ensuring regular servicing and maintenance will prove cost-effective and energy efficient. Not only this, but smart HVAC technologies go a long way in enabling a safer, productive and more sustainable working environment. By picking the right tools for the job, businesses of every type can position themselves for growth while remaining as safe and secure as possible.

Inverter driven air conditioning is more energy efficient, cheaper to operate and more profitable to install than its non-inverter driven equivalent. Here Neil Ballinger, head of EMEA at automation parts supplier EU Automation, explains how HVAC engineers can maintain the inverters in their customer’s aircon units. Do you remember cross country at school? It was exhausting; miles of seemingly pointless jogging and sprinting and, if the teacher was not looking, walking. If you were unlucky enough to be born before modern safeguarding measures were introduced, it probably also meant getting lost in the nearest woods.Why isn’t every installation an inverter driven unit, instead of the traditional single stage or dual stage models? My PE teacher, who seemed particularly vicious at the time, but in retrospect just knew about sports science than most, used to make us do something called fartlek as well. This meant long distance runs, incorporating elements of speed training by mixing up sprints with jogs and walks. The worst bit was starting to run again after a walk. That is exactly how the motor in your customer’s air conditioner feel if the units you fit are not inverter controlled. The motor has to act just like a runner doing fartlek — it sprints continuously, operating at full speed until the thermostat tells it the room is cool, then it stops. When the room gets warm, it starts again, powers immediately up to full speed and repeats the process indefinitely. Just like a teenage cross-country runner, it is the starting and stopping that is the tough bit. Furthermore, the unit probably doesn’t have to run at full speed to keep the room at the correct temperature, if the motor were inverter controlled it would speed up and slow down as the temperature fluctuates. Why isn’t all aircon inverter driven? We all know that inverter driven aircon is better than its non-inverter driven cousins. It can provide heating as well as cooling and the lifetime cost of use is less for the customer — because their energy bills stay low. The cost of installation is also higher because it is a more complex job, so it works out better for the contractor. It’s a win-win. The research firm Technavio even lists it as one of the key technologies driving growth in the HVAC market in its annual reports every year. So, the only question is, why isn’t every installation an inverter driven unit, instead of the traditional single stage or dual stage models?When contractors contact EU Automation to buy automation parts, for the units they maintain, they have given us another reason: maintenance Cost is a factor, but when contractors contact EU Automation to buy replacement motors and inverters, and other automation parts, for the units they maintain, they have given us another reason: maintenance. As HVAC engineers, we are not necessarily specialists in power electronics, and this makes inverter maintenance daunting. Microcontrollers and IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are not beyond us by any means, but they can be intimidating. Personally, I would back an electrical or heating engineer over an electronics specialist in a problem-solving contest all day long; but that doesn’t solve the problem at hand. Furthermore, while we are experts in air conditioning brands, and know our Daikins and Grees from our Mitsubishis and Fujitsus, we don’t necessarily have contacts at the inverter manufacturers. Amtech, Danfoss, Vacon and Yaskawa are all names we know, but the local dealer for any of them is probably not in your phone book. This is especially true if the unit you need is from a first-generation inverter driven aircon unit and well over a decade old. While we are experts in air conditioning brands, and know our Daikins and Grees from our Mitsubishis and Fujitsus, we don’t necessarily have contacts at the inverter manufacturers Maintenance techniques While inverter maintenance can be daunting, it isn’t difficult. The tools you will need most often are nothing more than a rag and a spanner, while the more esoteric kit is stuff you probably carry anyway, a laptop, vacuum and a Fluke meter. Before you start, remember that while we tend to refer to an inverter as an inverter, the manufacturers themselves, and many of the sources of information online, often refer to them as VSDs (Variable Speed Drives), VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives) or just plain old drives. As a result, when you are searching online for a video to explain something, it’s worth using all three of those terms, alongside the inverter manufacturer’s name and the problem to make sure you get the right result.While inverter maintenance can be daunting, it isn’t difficult When you do move on to maintenance, step one is simple; make sure that the unit is free of dust. This is as easy as vacuuming the heatsink with an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) vacuum cleaner when you perform routine maintenance or investigate a problem. While you are checking for build up of dust and daily grime, check the filters. They will probably have to be replaced during annual maintenance, but high use might mean they need to be replaced more often. The control panel itself should be well ventilated and free of dust as well, if it isn’t it can overheat, which is the number one cause of inverter damage and the most common reason contractors contact us for replacement units. Before you put your vacuum and duster away, you should make sure that the inverter unit’s location is clean and as sheltered from the elements as possible. Because it’s normally situated on a roof, it’s not going to be perfect, but the units are designed to take a limited battering. That doesn’t mean it’s okay for them to be covered in leaves, surrounded by rubbish or immediately beneath the guttering outlet though! Before you put your vacuum and duster away, you should make sure that the inverter unit’s location is clean and as sheltered from the elements as possible Get out the spanner Once you’ve finished these steps, you are done with dusting for now, it’s time to get out your screwdriver and your spanner. Step one is to make sure the fans on the inverter are operating normally, without noise and with nothing blocking their rotation. The fan keeps the internal components running effectively, just as it does on PC, and if its function is impaired the capacitors will overheat and the inverter will fail.When you install or maintain an inverter on an air conditioning system, it is a sensible precaution to back up the drive parameters to your laptop The next job is to grab your spanner and make sure the power terminals are on tight. Loose connections cause arcing, overheating and even melting of components and are easily checked during any kind of maintenance and repair. While we are still in the realms of the work your apprentice can do with their eyes closed, you should also make sure that the inverter’s removable LCD control pad is stored sensibly and not continually attached to the drive. If it remains attached, there is a chance the display will stay on permanently, which means that when you need it to diagnose a problem, it will probably already be burnt out. Break out the laptop When you install or maintain an inverter on an air conditioning system, it is a sensible precaution to back up the drive parameters to your laptop. It takes minutes and is normally done by using the removable LCD control. In fact, it’s often as simple as selecting ‘PARs’ and then ‘BACKUP’ from the menu. If you struggle, there are lots of videos on YouTube, like this one, which explain the process for each drive. As a result, if the inverter ever does need replacing, you can whip out your backed up parameters and order a new or refurbished one easily, before reloading the parameters to the replacement and getting up and running in no time. Your customers will think you are a power electronics genius, as well as a HVAC expert, and they will be loyal for life; especially of you save them on a hot day! If you follow these simple measures, you will find that the inverters in your customer’s air conditioning units last much longer and no motors will have to run the equivalent of a cross country, thanks to a lack of inverter control.

GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company, announced a $62 million investment to expand production at its massive, 750-acre manufacturing complex in Louisville and the creation of 260 new jobs as each of the three major manufacturing plants at Appliance Park ramp up assembly lines to produce more washers, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators. “The investments and new jobs we are announcing today are another demonstration of our commitment to continue enhancing our manufacturing footprint in the United States to serve more customers and owners faster and better,” said Kevin Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer for GE Appliances. high-end refrigeration “We are working very hard to build a competitive position that allows us to continue expanding our workforce and invest in winning products, paving the way to becoming the leading appliance company in the United States.” A $43 million investment will be used to manufacture GE, GE Profile and Café four-door models in the Park’s refrigeration plant. The four-door refrigerator - consisting of a traditional French door fresh food area, a freezer and a convertible section that can be used as either a freezer or refrigerator - is the fastest-growing design in high-end refrigeration. The expansion is expected to be complete by the first quarter of 2021. dishwasher manufacturing plant As a result of the pandemic, consumers are staying at home more than before and using their appliances more often The investment will include new tooling and equipment for the door and case areas, additional automation and upgrading the plant to use a more environmentally friendly refrigerant that meets the latest environmental standards. This program will increase capacity in the plant, positioning the company to add new jobs and introduce additional models, providing the facility a platform for long-term growth in the industry. A $19 million investment for new equipment and factory modernization will be made in the Park’s dishwasher manufacturing plant, creating added volume and capacity expansion to support growing demand for dishwashers. As a result of the pandemic, consumers are staying at home more than before and using their appliances more often. Desire for sanitization cycles on washers and dishwashers is helping drive increased demand for GE Appliances’ leading top load platfom and dishwasher models. annual economic impact According to new research, dishwashers are being run more frequently during the pandemic, and use of sanitization or high wash temperature cycles are up more than 50 percent; washer and dryer use is up 25 percent, and the sanitization cycle on washers is up 85 percent. Since 2017, GE Appliances has invested $360 million in Appliance Park and has expanded its workforce through the creation of more than 660 new jobs. GEA operations in Kentucky generate an annual economic impact of $11 billion. There are more than 6,500 employees who work for the company in the Louisville area.

GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company, announced the launch of SmartHQ Solutions - the first solution in the industry that unifies its smart technologies to improve the entire product life cycle. As the number one smart appliance and service company, GE Appliances has more than 450 connected appliance products across brands, driven by its innovation provider, GE Profile. With SmartHQ Solutions, GEA will extend its footprint beyond smart appliances to improve distribution, fleet management, home usage, and service, giving its owners and partners total control of their headquarters, whether that is their home, office, or job site. end-to-end smart solution “In today’s world, we are digitizing our behaviors more than ever before,” said Shawn Stover, Executive Director of SmartHome Solutions for GE Appliances. SmartHQ is the first end-to-end smart solution that combines our full suite of smart services and appliances" "That’s why we are launching SmartHQ - the first end-to-end smart solution that combines our full suite of smart services and appliances - making us the easiest appliance manufacturer to do business with, manage, use and service. With over 60 years of experience dedicated to the builder channel, we designed each of our pillars of distribution, management, home, and service to solve real-life issues and allow our partners to create a healthier business.” perform software updates The SmartHQ platform will evolve to include: SmartHQ Distribution: Shipping heavy appliances that arrive on-time and damage-free is no easy feat. SmartHQ Distribution combines technology and infrastructure to make it possible to reach 90% of the U.S. population. The company’s innovative velocity warehouses and patented equipment allow them to improve quality and lower damages, and their dedicated service team and robust product tracking system make tracking and service effortless. SmartHQ Management: Keeping track of one appliance is simple but monitoring 100 at a time can be challenging for property managers. In fact, 1/3 of property managers cite unexpected maintenance, time management and costs as top concerns, according to ManageCasa. Imagine the flexibility to set temperatures for every room air conditioner unit in a hotel rather than manually checking each room, or the ability to ensure all appliances are in peak condition in an apartment complex. SmartHQ Management allows property managers to oversee hundreds of appliances from the comfort of their office to save time and money, increase productivity and enhance their guests’ experiences. SmartHQ Home: Using technology to make one's daily chores easier - such as preheating the oven on your way home from the grocery store, starting a load of laundry from your phone or auto re-ordering detergent when the dishwasher runs low - is what drives GE Appliances. GE Appliances offers more than 450 connected appliances across brands, including innovation leader GE Profile, that match every consumer type. It also boasts an open platform that enables integration with smart tech partners, including Bose, Sonos, Google and Amazon. SmartHQ Home brings home appliance touchpoints together in a simple app, giving our consumers total control of their home. SmartHQ Service: Maintenance managers and trained service technicians deal with a common challenge of repairing appliances through a process of trial and error. A slow repair can keep a room vacant or upset a tenant. Rather than diagnose by trial and error, SmartHQ Service allows technicians to plug in and communicate with our connected appliances for faster and more accurate diagnostics. SmartHQ Service includes a suite of tools to order parts, access history and perform software updates from a mobile device. With SmartHQ Service, amateur repairman become proficient and seasoned techs become armed experts, enhancing speed and minimizing in-person visits to create better experiences for tenants and owners.

GE Appliances, a Haier company, announced that Julie Burns will join the company as Executive Director, Monogram, effective this month. With 20 years of luxury marketing experience, Burns is well-poised to lead the ultra-premium Monogram brand and elevate it to new heights. “Julie will help to truly bring to life our new Monogram campaign The Mark of Luxury You Can See and Feel and ensure that the restage of our two product collections continues to gain momentum and deliver great results,” said Mary Putman, who leads the House of Brands as Vice President of Marketing and Brand for GE Appliances. driving sales growth “Julie’s experience in luxury markets and brands, her leadership of large organizations, and her demonstrated ability to create modern omni-channel marketing strategies including CRM, loyalty and e-commerce make her uniquely qualified and a fantastic addition to our leadership team.” Mostly recently, Burns held a position as VP, Marketing and Sales at ABLE, a global, ethical women’s fashion lifestyle brand headquartered in Nashville, TN. In this role, she had responsibility for driving sales growth across retail, wholesale and online channels through the development of innovative and engaging marketing campaigns. vision and strategies I look forward to using my experience to continue building Monogram into a luxury brand experience" “I am thrilled to join a brand that is so committed to high-quality materials, performance and the ownership experience. Monogram has a rich history, and it’s an exciting time to join the brand as it redefines the world of luxury appliances,” said Burns. “I look forward to using my experience to continue building Monogram into a luxury brand experience that consumers can see and feel.” Prior to ABLE, she spent several years at L’Oreal USA, Inc. in New York, NY in the roles of Assistant VP, Omnichannel Marketing, Kiehl’s and Assistant VP, Customer Relationship Management and Loyalty, L’Oreal Luxe, a role in which she created the vision and strategies for customer relationship marketing and loyalty to drive digital and brick and mortar innovation projects within the luxury portfolio. executing brand strategies Her luxury marketing experience also includes time with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., where she was responsible for driving global brand and business strategies across the Luxury and Lifestyle brand portfolio. In her new role, Burns will lead the Monogram team, including the Monogram Design Center, Monogram Experience Center and the team of Designer Engagement Leaders. She will also be responsible for developing, implementing and executing brand strategies and initiatives. She will be based at Appliance Park in Louisville and will report to Mary Putman.