This “ambitious [and] delightful” (The New York Times) work of literary nonfiction interweaves the science and history of the powerful refrigerant (and dangerous greenhouse gas) Freon with a haunting meditation on how to live meaningfully and morally in a rapidly heating world. In After Cooling, Eric Dean Wilson braids together air-conditioning history, climate science, road trips, and philosophy to tell the story of the birth, life, and afterlife of Freon, the refrigerant that ripped a hole larger than the continental United States in the ozone layer. As he traces the refrigerant’s life span from its invention in the 1920s—when it was hailed as a miracle of scientific progress—to efforts in the 1980s to ban the chemical (and the resulting political backlash), Wilson finds himself on a journey through the American heartland, trailing a man who buys up old tanks of Freon stockpiled in attics and basements to destroy what remains of the chemical before it can do further harm. Wilson is at heart an essayist, looking far and wide to tease out what particular forces in American culture—in capitalism, in systemic racism, in our values—combined to lead us into the Freon crisis and then out. “Meticulously researched and engagingly written” (Amitav Ghosh), this “knockout debut” (New York Journal of Books) offers a rare glimpse of environmental hope, suggesting that maybe the vast and terrifying problem of global warming is not beyond our grasp to face.

The art and the science of building systems design evolve continuously as designers, practitioners, and researchers all endeavor to improve the performance of buildings and the comfort and productivity of their occupants. Retaining coverage from the original second edition while updating the information in electronic form, Heating and Cooling of Buildings: Design for Efficiency, Revised Second Edition presents the technical basis for designing the lighting and mechanical systems of buildings. Along with numerous homework problems, the revised second edition offers a full chapter on economic analysis and optimization, new heating and cooling load procedures and databases, and simplified procedures for ground coupled heat transfer calculations. The accompanying CD-ROM contains an updated version of the Heating and Cooling of Buildings (HCB) software program as well as electronic appendices that include over 1,000 tables in HTML format that can be searched by major categories, a table list, or an index of topics. Ancillary information is available on the book’s website www.hcbcentral.com From materials to computers, this edition explores the latest technologies exerting a profound effect on the design and operation of buildings. Emphasizing design optimization and critical thinking, the book continues to be the ultimate resource for understanding energy use in buildings.

When it comes to buying and selling real estate, knowledge is power -- and this book lets you in on the secrets. Everything You Need to Know (But Forget to Ask) When Buying or Selling Property is a concise, authoritative guide. In plain, simple language, real estate agent Mary Smits looks at the many issues that confront both buyers and sellers, including: choosing a home or investment property wisely negotiating to save money understanding the paperwork dealing with and choosing real estate agents preparing to sell your property moving home. Mary explains how to search for property on the internet and provides tips to help you use buying and selling tactics to your advantage and avoid potential traps. The book features useful check lists to take with you to inspections, along with sound, practical advice.

In October 2008 the European Commission published its Proposal for a Consumer Rights Directive which puts forward far-reaching changes to the core of consumer contract law: Four current directives are to be replaced by a new, overarching piece of legislation and in doing so full harmonisation for the most part is to take the place of the minimum standard presently in force in the EU. Although a welcome initiative, the extent and possible effects of the Proposal have certainly brought a number of issues to the fore. In January 2009, legal experts from universities, practice and the civil service met to address the points raised by the Proposal and the question of the extent to which it can indeed contribute to the modernisation and harmonisation of European consumer contract law. The papers presented at this conference analysed, criticised and suggested improvements for the Proposal and are published in this volume.