Save money on heating by finding the right humidity levels

Comfort diagram

When it comes to saving energy and heating costs, people can become really creative. Some of them only heat those rooms which they use most. Others get one of those fancy dog draught excluders, or they close all shutters to improve the insulation of their windows. And because for every degree you turn down your heating you save a good 6 % off your next energy bill, they wear a second sweater or a third pair of socks. That is certainly one way of dealing with the problem…

But what most people tend to forget: The apparent air temperature strongly depends on the humidity levels in the room you are in!

This phenomenon can easily be illustrated when you think of the summer holidays. Have you ever been to the tropics? Exactly – the high humidity levels in such areas make the heat almost unbearable. However, when you are in the desert, temperatures seem far more moderate, although they are usually a lot higher.

How you can use this information to save on heating costs at home? Read More

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Merry Xmas

Dear reader, dear Trotec customer,

we would like to seize this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year! Enjoy the holidays and have a wonderful time with your loved ones.

We are looking forward to being there for you also in 2012!

Best wishes,
Your Trotec Team

*** Frohe Weihnachten ***Merry Christmas *** Joyeux Noël *** Wesołych Świąt *** Feliz Navidad *** Mutlu Noeller *** 圣诞节快乐 *** Vrolijk Kerstfeest *** Glædelig Jul! *** Hyvää Joulua! *** Buon Natale! *** God Jul! ***

VIS – Become a Very Important Shopper!

VIS - Very Important Shopper

For us, every customer is special. Yet, there is one area that we have created exclusively for those of you who show us their support on Facebook. Because on our Facebook page, we would like to be there for our customers, share valuable information and entertaining tips and tricks, and make sure each and every one of our fans feels comfortable in the Trotec community.

What would you say if you got up to 20% off for selected products from the Trotec24 Online Shop?

Sounds like a good deal? Then all you have to do is like our facebook page. This way, you automatically become part of the VIS community – which gives you access to the most incredible offers our online shop has in store. Be the first to find out about new stars in our product portfolio, company gossip and industry buzz: Become a VIS!

VIS stands for Very Important Shopper.

And that sums it up pretty neat: For our very special customers we have some very special offers – just like they deserve. Make sure you drop by regularly, so you don’t miss any of those exclusive opportunities. Every offer is valid for a limited time only, and only while stocks last!

Are you dying to find out which bargains we have in store for you now?

Visit us on Facebook – and you won’t ever miss a thing …

In the used car business, professional appearance is all that counts!

buying a used car

Women and cars: I know what you may think…for some men at least, this may not be the perfect combination. But believe it or not – when I buy a used car, I really want to know what I’m buying. And although I’m no expert, I read through scores  of magazines and internet pages to find out anything I can about different types of engines and other technical details. Bhp, acceleration, cylinders, torque – I know what I want and when I decide to spend several thousands of euros on a car, I expect to get precisely what I want. However, most sellers, whether they are selling their car on a private or commercial basis,  just don’t take me seriously. On the contrary, they often believe that I buy anything they try to sell me.

“Don’t worry – this car is absolutely accident-free,” is one of the statements that I heard on pretty much every stop during my extensive tour through the various car dealerships in the region.
Read More

Brand quality that really pays off

You will know this from the supermarket: You are just about to grab your favourite brand of crisps, from the very same shelve it has always been. For the very same price it has always had. And yet there is one difference: It feels lighter, somehow … And then, when you are comfortably curled up in front of the TV, looking forward to some nice and cosy nibbling, your worst fears are brutally confirmed: There are not as much crisps in the bag as there used to be!

This concealed form of price increase is particularly clever, since more often than not the inadvertent consumer doesn’t even notice the markup. Read More

If it’s about work tents … this is the expert!

work tentThose of you who have ever ordered a tent from us will know him for sure: Marc Pluijmaekers is the authority for work tents and everything around it. He is counselling our customers with a lot of expertise, putting his whole heart and soul into each and every one of his projects. He designs tents for every spirit and purpose – and is definitely worth an interview! Read More

Endoscopy: Scientists develop a disposable micro-camera

A Micro-Camera of not even one millimetre in size – this may sound like the latest James Bond movie rather than a real-life invention. Intelligence services, secret agents, espionage – this is what pops into my mind when reading about such a scientific breakthrough. Just imagine what agent 007 could do with such a camera? Or the CIA?

The truth is that such sci-fi fantasies could become true in a not too distant future: German scientists have now developed a prototype which could soon become the new standard in optical inspection.

a worker with an endoscope

The camera was developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration, in collaboration with Awaiba GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering. With minimal dimensions of only 0,7 x 0,7 x 1 mm, it still provides you with precise and pin sharp pictures: 25,000 pixel guarantee highest quality standards, which even make it fit for medical purposes. Also, an innovative manufacturing process allows the cameras to be produced many times more productive and thereby, of course, also a lot more affordable.

It could thereby be possible to produce endoscopes of impressive quality for such a low price, that they can directly be disposed of after use; the costly and time-consuming cleaning process in the aftermath then becomes obsolete. Disposable endoscopes – one day part of the basic equipment in any ER, lying right next to disposable syringes and disposable gloves?

For now, such high-tech endoscopes are still a pie in the sky. But Trotec already offers a wide selection of real-life – and no less impressive – measuring instruments for optical inspection.

As far as leak detection, piping examination and structural diagnostics are concerned, the expectations users have of a camera are slightly different anyway. A robust, long-lived workmanship is of higher importance here. For an endoscope, ease of operation and a flexible adaption to changing fields of application are more important than micro-dimensions and throw-away benefits.
Come and see for yourself: The Trotec Product Catalog displays the current state of the art in optical inspection:

We offer a broad range of endoscopes and videoscopes: for the amateur and the professional user alike, for the mechanic as well as for the building expert. Just take a peek: We have something for every need.

For we have the license to inspect. To optically inspect.

Flood damage: Competent advice and reliable assistance on the spot

a flooded street and water damage restoration experts

The Trotec Group offers a broad range of products and services all around climate conditioning, metrology and damage restoration. Especially in the field of flood and water damage restoration, we benefit hugely from this unique combination of competences, for this allows us to offer our customers full service from one single source. Professional equipment for sale, temporary solutions for rent and, above all, the competent advice our experienced experts can give.

This single-source approach guarantees a fast and reliable reaction to flood and water damage, especially when the worst comes to the worst.

In order to make it even easier for those people who are affected to get in touch with us, we have now launched a new service website that is explicitly designed to support those regions which have recently been hit by floods and high water: www.flood-damage-services.com is the site where local water damage restoration companies, resellers and rental services that supply the necessary equipment can get information about our product range. It is also where councils, local authorities and governments can seek advice on how the Trotec Group can assist the restoration process and make the clean-up operation more efficient and productive. For we have the experience which is vital in such situations – and we hope to be of assistance not only for the people in Germany, but also in every other country where devastating floods have turned the lives the citizens upside down.

There will always be natural disasters like floods and high water. But with the right preparation and a competent partner for the entire restoration process in the aftermath, reaction times can be reduced to a minimum and subsequent damage can be avoided – for the benefit of all people affected.

The Trotec Group is there for you when it matters most. We are everywhere you need us to be: wherever there is a demand, at any point of the globe and twenty-four-seven.


Visit our information website: www.flood-damage-services.com

Apps for Life

Apps
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the leading trade fair of the consumer electronics industry that took place at the beginning of the year, made one thing more than clear: 2011 is going to be the year of the Apps. You think that 2010 has been the year of the Apps? Well, that was just the beginning… Tablet PCs, Smartphones and the continuous hype around all apple products make sure that Apps stay on top of the list for every mobile enthusiast. Because they make life so much easier…

In what way? In pretty much every way you can imagine…because these days there is hardly anything that a smartphone cannot do!

Here’s just a little selection of everyday items that you can leave at home from now on – assuming that you have the right app! Read More

Cooking pasta and saving energy: A Test

Boiling water (and money) on the stove

On our German Facebook page, we just ran a little competition in which we asked our fans to post their best tips for saving energy. In the course of this contest, they shared a lot of useful advice and proved that there are quite some things you can do to save not only precious energy from being wasted, but also a nice amount of money from being spent in vain. A lot of useful, amusing and surprising tips were collected, but then a little dispute emerged between two of our fans. The point of issue was:

Is it energy-efficient to boil the water for pasta in an electric kettle before proceeding to cook the noodles on the stove?

The question is whether this really saves energy (because an electric boiler is not only faster, but also needs less energy) or maybe even consumes more (because two single appliances must be heated). Since we were the ones who had raised the question in the first place, we thought it is kind of our responsibility to clear up this confusion. Or maybe we were only looking for a good excuse to meet up with some colleagues for a little reunion outside the office… and after all, we at Trotec have the means to find the solution to this dilemma. That is, we have the right equipment: The BX 11 is a handy little device that allows you to measure the energy consumed by any electrical device you decide to plug in – and even gives you the exact amount of money spent. Read More