INDIANAPOLIS—Carrier, the company founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, is working with ecobee, the company behind the world’s first Wi-Fi smart thermostat, to offer co-branded versions of the ecobee3 lite Pro and ecobee SmartThermostat Pro with voice control. Available this spring, these thermostats will offer a new way to experience personalized comfort and enhanced energy savings. Carrier is a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. The ecobee smart thermostats Powered by Carrier can be connected to the Carrier Connected Portal enabling contractors to remotely diagnose and...

COMMERCE, CALIF.—Nora Lighting’s Opal LED Surface Mount Series is now available with a motion sensor. The low-profile Opal offers even illumination and can be surface mounted over a standard junction box or retrofitted into an existing recessed housing. An integral PIR (passive infrared) sensor activates when motion is detected and turns off after three minutes of no motion. The sensor can detect motion within a 16’ diameter pattern when mounted at an 8’ height. Opal PIR has a white finish and is suitable for pantries, closets, laundry rooms and other small areas. It offers 1000lm (15W) with 3000K or 4000K at...

NATIONAL REPORT—The amount of moisture in the air, “humidity,” continually varies. Think of a sponge as an analogy. When relative humidity is 50 percent, the sponge is half full of water. When relative humidity is 100 percent, the sponge is holding as much water as it possibly can. When relative humidity is 0 percent, the sponge is completely dry and free of moisture. Climate Buildings in Orlando, Fla. are more susceptible to humidity challenges than for example, Atlanta. What climate qualities make Orlando more susceptible to humidity than Atlanta? Orlando is situated in an area that experiences high humidity for an...

MONTREAL—Verdant has entered the New Year with yet another top honor. In December 2019, the provider of energy management solutions for commercial buildings was awarded the GOOD DESIGN 2019 award in the Building Products category for its Verdant ZX thermostat. The tribute, which recognizes products with cutting-edge design and innovation around the world, was bestowed by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd. Since 1950, the Good Design program has rewarded pioneering design from the likes of 3M Company, Apple Computer Inc., Coca-Cola Co., General Electric Co., LG Electronics Inc., Microsoft Corp., Samsung...

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA.—Carrier announced that it received its fifth major award for the Carrier AquaEdge 19DV water-cooled centrifugal chiller in just over a year. Most recently, Carrier received accolades for the 19DV in Dubai as the 2019 Innovative Manufacturer/Supplier of the Year in the Chillers category at the Climate Control Awards hosted by CPI Industry. The 19DV utilizes an environmentally sustainable refrigerant with the highest possible safety rating and an ultra-low global warming potential of ~1. “Carrier is focused on inventing solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, and the AquaEdge 19DV has received recognition around the globe as...

PLACENCIA, BELIZE—Ray Caye is a small (20-unit) island resort with a very large focus on sustainability. The property is 17 miles off the coast of Belize and a short flight from Belize City, then a boat ride. It has been open for eight years but is reopening in January as Ray Caye. This is a decidedly upscale resort but there has been as much investment in environmental elements as in accommodations, according to Dasha Shivers, the resort’s General Manager. Seriously Solar On the solar front, the resort has a solar array of 100 KW (total of all installed solar panels); a...

SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Distributed Solar Development (DSD) announced the completion of a custom solar canopy it designed and built for MGM Springfield in Springfield, Mass. The canopy enabled the property’s United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) New Construction Platinum level certification—the first for a gaming resort. The canopy will contribute to MGM’s stated goal of reducing carbon emissions per square foot by 45 percent by 2025, using a 2007 baseline. Built with U.S.-made Nucor steel and a proprietary water management system, the 1.382MW solar canopy sits atop the roof deck of the MGM Springfield’s parking garage....

MALE, MALDIVES—Emerald Collection announced that Emerald Maldives Resort & SPA has opened. Unusual to any private island, Emerald Maldives houses a wraparound reef which means guests are never more than a few footsteps away from an encounter with exotic fish, turtles or manta rays. The 120-villa resort is located on the Raa Atoll, renowned for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world and boasts one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives. “With Emerald Maldives Resort & SPA, we wanted to create a sanctuary for guests who wish to escape the pressures and stress of modern-day...

First this week: In last week’s articles, “Research Conducted for Clean the World: Bacterial Contamination Common in Refillable Dispensers,” and “New Research Much Fuel for the Fire in Ongoing Dispenser Debate,” Clean the World CEO and President Shawn Seipler incorrectly used the word “fecal” to describe the bacteria contained in the refillable dispensers that were part of a study conducted by the University of Arizona. Those mentions have since been corrected. The Executive Summary of the larger report on dispensers to be published next year was a hot topic of conversation this past week. It would be great to see...

TORRANCE, CALIF.—LEDtronics announced a new addition to their industry-leading offering of intermediate based LED bulbs. The new High-lumen LED T5 Tube Bulbs are available in multiple base selections and are the ideal replacement for old technology incandescents. The LED16T5 series’ design allows for quick installations and is ideal for enclosed fixtures and tight spaces. It is a perfect fit in applications such as machine status indicator bulbs, accent and decorative lighting, industrial panels, automotive bulbs, appliance bulbs as well as chandeliers. The series features an omnidirectional 360-degree, no-shadow beam pattern. As compared to incandescents, this LED bulb provides sharper, higher-intensity illumination,...