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"Is this legal?" Residents outraged over demanding aircon letter

<p>Residents in a Sydney unit complex were left outraged after they were asked to turn off their air conditioners overnight.</p> <p>A letter placed inside the elevator of the 18-floor apartment building states that the utility can only be used “during the following times."</p> <p>“Weekdays 7am to 10pm, weekends and public holidays 8am to 10pm,” the letter said.  </p> <p>“At other times than this, please turn off your air conditioners, especially after 10:00 PM every day.”</p> <p>The letter, which was posted on Facebook, received a lot of backlash from other residents and renters</p> <p>One resident who lived in the 1960s building for a decade said it was the first time she had heard of such a request.</p> <p>“Can anyone please let me know if this is legal? Can they actually force people to not run their own AC units?” the person asked. </p> <p>Many other renters expressed their annoyance, with one joking that they'd have to pry the aircon off their dead hands. </p> <p>“Anyone else feel like we are in a Nanny State?” one wrote. </p> <p>“To be honest with 30°c nights they can pry my aircon from my cold dead heads,” another quipped. </p> <p>One Facebook user also commented that building developers might be to blame. </p> <p>“I think the strata builders got a bit cheap and installed less expensive aircons and therefore they are too loud. Bet if they had decent ones, the tenants wouldn’t have to suffer hot nights because of the noise,” they said. </p> <p>A few others commented that it might not just be a request from strata, but local councils that are enforcing new noise pollution restrictions which affect aircons. </p> <p>City of Sydney, Inner West, and Penrith councils, are a few of the local governments which require the airconditioners to be turned off 10pm to 7am during the week and until 8am on the weekend, the same time requested on the laters. </p> <p>The local governments also recommend that residents and developers purchase high-quality airconditioners that won't cause noise pollution or disturb neighbours. </p> <p>“Even if you’ve been told that it complies with noise requirements, it doesn’t mean it’s going to suit every location all the time,” the Inner West Council website read. </p> <p>The letter comes as Sydney battles its second heatwave in the span of a week. </p> <p><em>Images: Facebook/ Getty</em></p>

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How to cope with extreme heat days without racking up the aircon bill

<p>Summer in Australia is <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a032.shtml">getting hotter</a>. Extreme heat events, with daytime temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, are becoming more common and we are getting more of these days in a row.</p> <p>We all need to prepare ourselves, our homes and our neighbourhoods for hot and very hot days. Since 2016, the <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/1161470/cooling-the-commons-report.pdf">Cooling the Commons</a> research project has been working with people living in some of Sydney’s hottest neighbourhoods to learn how they cope with heat.</p> <p>Discussion groups with residents across hotspots in Western Sydney, including Penrith, Cranebrook and St Marys, highlighted a wealth of things we can do to manage heat. We published some of the following tips in a recent <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/ics/news/new_resource_by_institute_researchers_provides_advice_on_how_to_prepare_for_heat">flier</a>.</p> <p><strong>Why can’t we all just rely on air conditioning?</strong></p> <p>Official advice for extreme heat is often to stay inside and turn on the air conditioning. While air conditioning can play a role, <a href="https://www.canstarblue.com.au/appliances/air-conditioning-running-costs/">not everyone can afford it</a>. Low-income and older households can be especially vulnerable to bill shock and are more likely to feel the impacts of extreme heat.</p> <p>There is also the risk that running air conditioners uses <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/09/australias-emissions-reach-the-highest-on-record-driven-by-electricity-sector">energy resources that contribute further to global warming</a>. More immediately, hot exhaust air from air-conditioning units can <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013JD021225">make the local environment hotter</a>. This means keeping one home cool can make it harder for neighbours to keep their homes cool and make being outside even more uncomfortable.</p> <p>Air conditioning in private homes creates a cool refuge for only some. Unless those homes have an open-door policy on hot days, many of us will need to find other ways to keep cool. If you do have air conditioning, think about how you could share your air with those near you who might really need it.</p> <p><strong>Prepare before the heat hits</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Shade is important for creating more comfortable living spaces.</em></strong></p> <p>Identify which parts of your home get the most afternoon sun in summer. Can you plant trees or vines, or move a pot plant outside the window to create a green screen? Can you attach awnings to shade the windows?</p> <p>Low-cost temporary solutions can include attaching light-coloured shade cloth outside the window using removable hooks, or installing heavy drapes or blinds inside. Blankets or even aluminium foil are a low-cost creative way of keeping heat out.</p> <p><strong><em>Open up to let in cool air at night</em></strong></p> <p>Can you open the windows and doors overnight to let in cooler air? If you are concerned about security, look for options for locking the windows in an open position, or using flyscreens and security grilles on windows and doors.</p> <p>A low-cost option to keeping flying insects at bay on hot nights is a mosquito net over the window or around the bed.</p> <p><strong><em>Use low-cost resources to prepare in advance.</em></strong></p> <p>Ceiling or portable fans are one of the best ways to cool your body when it’s hot. But remember fans don’t cool rooms, so turn off the fan when you leave the room or you’re just burning electricity.</p> <p>Find ice trays and containers to freeze water – cake tins and storage containers are a good option. Putting these in front of a portable fan will mean the fan blows cool air.</p> <p>Putting a wet face cloth on the insides of your wrists, around your ankles or on the back of your neck will bring down your body temperature. Hanging damp sheets in doorways or in front of a fan will help keep the temperature down – although the trick with the sheets won’t work if it’s a really humid day.</p> <p><strong>How to stay cool and comfortable on hot days</strong></p> <p>Morning is likely to be the coolest time of the day. Open up your windows and doors to let in the cooler morning air.</p> <p>It’s the best time to be active – walk the dog, take the kids to the park, go for a swim. If possible, do your cleaning, cooking or outside work now. Plan meals that don’t require an oven.</p> <p><strong><em>Close up as it heats up.</em></strong></p> <p>As the day starts to get hot, close the house up – shut windows, blinds and curtains. This could be as early as 9am on really hot days. If you are heading out to work, do this before you leave home.</p> <p>Closing internal doors can help to keep the heat in one part of your home. You need to close doors to any parts of the home that get hot before the day gets hot.</p> <p><strong><em>Stay hydrated.</em></strong></p> <p>Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Put a jug of tap water in the fridge and remember to top it up.</p> <p>Don’t forget to move pet water bowls and day beds out of the sun. If you live in a dry area, it can’t hurt to put out extra water bowls for needy wildlife!</p> <p><strong><em>Find a cooling refuge.</em></strong></p> <p>If your home gets uncomfortably hot, find the closest cooling refuges in your neighbourhood. These are places where you can go to cool down. Good examples that won’t break the bank are the local swimming pool or library.</p> <p>Some local councils provide <a href="http://coolparramatta.com.au/">lists</a> of <a href="https://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/waste-environment/cooling-the-city/beat-the-heat">cooling centres</a> on their websites.</p> <p><strong><em>Save air conditioning for when it’s most needed.</em></strong></p> <p>Try to save air conditioning for the hottest parts of the day. It will be most effective and cheapest to run if your home is well insulated and you’ve closed it up for the day.</p> <p><strong><em>Look after neighbours.</em></strong></p> <p>Remember to check on elderly or frail neighbours. Along with the very young, they are usually more affected by the heat and may need to cool down sooner than you do.</p> <p>If your neighbours are in need, consider inviting them into your home to cool down. When it’s hot, let’s <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Infrastructures-of-Care%3A-Opening-up-%E2%80%9CHome%E2%80%9D-as-in-a-Lopes-Healy/1920004e258483d40017ff468370e4892e11fce5">think of our cities as social commons</a> rather than a collection of private spaces.</p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-power-250930"><em>Emma Power</em></a><em>, Senior Research Fellow, Geography and Urban Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abby-mellick-lopes-388977">Abby Mellick Lopes</a>, Associate Professor, Design, School of Humanities and Communication Arts, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/louise-crabtree-128457">Louise Crabtree</a>, Associate Professor, Institute for Culture and Society, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></span></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-cope-with-extreme-heat-days-without-racking-up-the-aircon-bills-128857">original article</a>.</em></p>

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How hotel air conditioners could be making you sick

<p>So many things can be the cause of illness while on holidays, such as the sudden change in temperature and environment. But have you considered the germs that could be lurking in the air of your hotel room?</p> <p>One former hotel manager, Chris Johnston, revealed what is possibly the dirtiest part of a hotel room.</p> <p>Johnston revealed to <em>Bustle</em> that the air-conditioning vents are the germiest part of a hotel room and suggested to avoid using them if possible, <span><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/5360662/hotel-air-con-machines-could-make-you-sick/"><em>The Sun</em></a></span> reported.</p> <p>“One often overlooked source of … germs is the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) unit in the room,” Johnston revealed.</p> <p>“If hotel staff fail to clean the filters, or at least the top visible portion, simply turning on the unit can cause these particles to fill your room and your lungs.”</p> <p>It’s recommended the filters of the aircon be changed every three months.</p> <p>The relationship between air-conditioning and illness have been linked to a spread of flu within the United Arab Emirates. Due to the hot and humid weather in the country the cooling systems are widely used.</p> <p>Dr Jimmy Joseph, who works at the Universal Hospital in Abu Dhabi, revealed to <em>Gulf News</em>, “It would certainly help if residents had their air conditioning and ventilation ducts serviced. These areas can harbour allergens, and allergy-related respiratory illnesses are known to be particularly common in the UAE.”</p> <p>Another thing to avoid in hotels is using drinking glasses.</p> <p>A <span><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/5230158/why-you-should-never-use-the-drinking-glasses-in-a-hotel-room/">disturbing video emerged</a></span> in December 2017 of cleaners in some of China’s most luxurious five-star hotels, where guests could be paying as much as $640 a night, using a toilet brush to clean drinking glasses and mugs before moving on to the toilet bowl.</p> <p>The cleaners were also exposed with indecent floor cleaning as they dunked bath towels in the toilet bowl before mopping the bathroom floor with them.</p> <p>Additionally, the cleaners folded the bedsheets on the floor and used hand towels to dry the drinking glasses and mugs.</p> <p>The video was supposedly shot by an undercover journalist for <em>South China Morning Post</em> after poor hygiene reports at the Kempinski and Shangri-la hotels in Harbin.</p> <p>The reporter posed as a cleaner to be employed by the hotel and filmed the disturbing video during a trainee shift, where experienced cleaners were teaching the newly hired the unclean routines.</p> <p>Reports from the Chinese media suggest the health planning commission in Harbin is investigating and plans to fine the hotels involved, while the Kempinski hotel claims the staff member shown in the video has since been fired.</p> <p>Another item to steer clear of while abroad incudes the <span><a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/accommodation/the-disgusting-reason-you-should-always-bring-your-own-hairdryer-on-holiday/news-story/fb246b320181900f9e29f25a4a4805dc">hotel’s hairdryer</a></span> which can contain more germs than the toilet seat – yuck, right?</p> <p>In a previous study for <em><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/BusinessTravel/story?id=4269295&amp;page=1">America’s ABC</a>,</em> nine hotel rooms were tested across the board, ranging from three to five stars. The test was conducted by microbiologist Charles Gerba.</p> <p>“There must be some things you can do with a hair dryer that I am not aware of because some of them were pretty germy,” he revealed.</p> <p>This is thought to be the case due to cleaners focusing on the more obviously dirty items within the bathroom such as the toilet, the showers and the sink, and therefore, disregarding the secret more hidden germs lurking elsewhere.</p> <p>The light switches and even room service menus can be just as grimy as many dirty hands have touched the items and they most likely haven’t thought to be given a wipe down, enabling the germs to grow over time.</p>

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