Welcome to a double edition of CCN magazine which is out now. The October/November edition of CCN is a bumper issue jam- packed with features; the 2025 Women in HVACR Top 20, a 14-page review of ARBSQLD and the official launch of NextGen 2026.
It’s been a hectic few weeks but significant. Industry groups are working hard to elevate HVACR, to ensure policymakers value our contribution to the national economy. This is a profession that deserves greater recognition and that is exactly what this edition of CCN is all about.
Anyone who works in air conditioning is in the business of making people feel good.
Sure there are a long list of other features that sell air conditioners such as price, indoor air quality, style and energy efficiency, but the priority is always comfort. These days air conditioners turn on and off based on the number of people in a room, even body temperatures and mood.
Everyone wants to feel good which may explain the high level of interest in mental wellness wearables (yes they are a thing). ONDA+ is a wearable device that detects rising stress before it takes over.
The device debuted on Kickstarter and reached its funding goal in less than a week. It works by detecting rising emotional tension in the user. It then prompts the user with a vibration cue or a gentle light reminding them to settle down. I like the subtlety, a gentle light is far more appealing than an alarm or a software-activated voice warning me that I am stressed. That voice would send me into a rage, the morning alarm is bad enough.
I can imagine footpaths littered with smashed ONDA+’s from customers who threw them out the window after repeated stress warnings.
Amazingly the device has generated interest from the UK’s National Health Service which is undertaking a clinical trial next year. It sounds great for people with high blood pressure or a nervous condition but for me, a stress warning just makes me stressed.