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List of stories by 'Pratibha Umashankar'
While mega events in the region will register a market surge for grilles and diffusers, air distribution systems will also continue to enjoy a steady demand, as they play a pivotal role in ensuring occupant comfort and better IEQ, while aesthetically blending into the architecture of a built environment.
Added: Oct 4, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
Calling it the future of energy, George A Kenich, CEO of Anagenesis Ecosystems Innovations, makes a case for biomass energy and exemplifies how it can meet the region’s sustainable power demands.
Added: Oct 2, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
Until recently, though weighing heavily in its favour, the jury was still out on VRF technology as a serious contender in the region. That road hump has now been crossed. What has changed the narrative in the short interim? We read the signposts that signal the crossover, and the road ahead.
Added: Sep 20, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
While mining for HVACR facts, one could come across rare nuggets of interesting information. Here are a few of them. Apart from being enjoyable bits of trivia, they can spice up conversations or, better still, be deployed to stump a roomful of the fraternity…
Added: Jul 31, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
Given that cooling towers play a critical role in process cooling in HVAC applications, it helps to be aware of the pitfalls one could encounter. We collate the most important ones for easy reference…
Added: Jul 28, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
Energy efficiency and comfort can be achieved by using the right kind of components, which are fine-tuned to provide optimum results. The humble valve is one of them – often unseen and underrated but vital. And given the rapidly changing scenario in the region, it needs to constantly reinvent itself.
Added: Jul 25, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
Last time round, we went skating from snowclad mountaintops to soda pop carts at street corners, tracing the journey ice cream had traversed over the centuries. This time round, let’s slurp on some ice cream lore.
Added: May 18, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
From a mixture of snow and honey emperors enjoyed in palaces to ice lollies sold at street corners, and from homemade concoctions to mass-produced slabs, ice cream has had a delectable journey, picking up many ingredients, textures and flavours on the way.
Added: Mar 13, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
History is simultaneous, and not linear, as historians would have us believe. In this tangled simultaneity of events, with claims and counter-claims of being the first one at the finishing line, here’s following one strand...
Added: Feb 17, 2016 | By Pratibha Umashankar
We’ve been looking at AC-lore for a while, so let’s get refrigeration out from cold storage…
Added: Dec 5, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
The matinee idols who rule the hearts of millions owe their stardom to air conditioners, which made going to the cinemas cool.
Added: Nov 7, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
It wasn’t one single eureka moment that led to the invention of air conditioners. It looks like many inventive minds dreamed up the idea, often simultaneously, and for different reasons. Without wading into the ‘who first’ controversy, here’s raising a toast to all those pioneers.
Added: Oct 6, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
He’s called “No drama Obama”. A cool customer, this US chief. But a lot has gone into maintaining the temperature of the White House, so presidents can take those big decisions in thermal comfort. Here’s a peek at over 200 years of air conditioning the First Home
Added: Apr 9, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
In the second part of our two-part series on the industry insights on IEQ in schools, we reiterate the view that better IEQ is easier to achieve if the right HVAC systems are in place in the school complex and if the industry throws its weight behind the cause.
Added: Mar 10, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
If ancient Egyptians used passive evaporative cooling with porous pots of water and damp curtains, the Arabs took it a step forward with wind catchers and muscatese window designs to keep their living quarters cool
Added: Mar 5, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
So the Romans had hypocausts and frigidariums and the Koreans had ondols. And the Indus Valley Civilisation may have predated them all when it came making indoor air behave itself. But wait, the Egyptians were pretty cool too!
Added: Feb 5, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
How do you fancy your pool – hot, tepid or cold? The Romans plunged into all three and created the concept of saunas, chilled piped water and refrigerators.
Added: Jan 8, 2015 | By Pratibha Umashankar
Wall and floor panels to create radiant heating? They’re as old as the hills ... of Rome
Added: Dec 8, 2014 | By Pratibha Umashankar
A reading of wind direction reveals that there is no major storm brewing in the fans and blowers sector in the region. The market is whirring at a regulated speed, with no sudden gusts threatening to blow away the status quo. This is good news and bad news. Getting used to the comfort zone does not augur well for business. But it is better than the windless trough created by the double dip, believe industry insiders.
Added: Jun 13, 2012 | By Pratibha Umashankar
The Kuwait District Cooling Summit, held in end-January, attracted presentations from experts and industry insiders. The collective experience and erudition raised as many questions as they answered. We bring you a summary ...
Added: Mar 20, 2011 | By Pratibha Umashankar