Energy Efficient Air Conditioners
Save money while enjoying fresh air
On a hot, humid summer day, there is nothing like walking into an air-conditioned room. Millions of people worldwide find this to be a comfort that they cannot live without.
Believe it or not, air conditioning has been around since the early Egyptian times, although not in the way that we know it today. The history of air conditioning is really quite fascinating.
In early Egyptian times, homes of the elite and royal palaces were built with spaces in between the stone walls for water to flow through. The water was a continuous flow, and cooled off the rooms in which it flowed. It did not have the power of the traditional air conditioners, however it served its purpose for thousands of years. Although water was a precious commodity in these times, the rich and royalty felt that they were entitled to this luxury.
It is really very interesting when you think of the innovative ways people who lived in hot climates found to cool off. Take for instance, the Persians, in medieval times used wind towers and cisterns to create a cool atmosphere within structures that housed many different people. Perhaps this could be considered the beginning of the central cooling systems?
Despite who you were or even what era that you lived in, people always found ways to keep cool. Old Norman Rockwell paintings depicted a man sitting in his underclothes with his feet in a bucket of ice and a fan blowing the mist toward him.
In 1820, Michael Faraday, a British Scientist, discovered that liquefied ammonia could cool the air. This concept was toyed with, however, at the beginning of the industrial revolution, in the early 1840's with electricity just in its infancy, Dr. John Gorrie, A prominent physician in Florida invented a machine that could create ice. Although this was done to keep the patients in his hospital cool and comfortable, it was the first step in what we know as air conditioners today.
William H. Carrier created the first official electric air conditioner in 1902. It was created for a local printing press business that needed to be cool in order to operate efficiently.
Air conditioners were later used in businesses that need to operate with little or no humidity. Manufacturers of bread, chocolate and tobacco products were among the first companies to use this incredible device.
It was not until 1906 that moisture was added to the cooling machines and the name of air conditioning was created.
In the early stages of electric air conditioning, toxic gases were used to produce the cooling effects. No one knew or understood that the gasses were lethal to those who were exposed; the only thing that they knew was that it worked very well.
Many years later, it was determined to be dangerous and air conditioners were almost banned. After twenty years of using toxic gasses in air conditioning, Thomas Midgely Jr. developed a way to use Freon gas as the main component in air conditioners.
Air conditioners were very expensive, to make and to use, and were used primarily in businesses. It was not a device that was considered for residential homes. It was not until after WWII that air conditioners were considered for residential use.
Modeled along the same principal as refrigerators, the air conditioner was first manufactured by refrigerator companies because they were the only ones who had the experience in creating small motors that used refrigerants.
In their early stages, air conditioners were big, bulky and very heavy. They were used primarily in basements however, as they evolved, they could be used in windows in homes across the country.
Over a period of time, the shapes of homes changed to fit around the function of air conditioners. High ceilings, wide eaves and cross ventilation were no longer necessary, they could actually end up costing the homeowner more money because it would take longer to cool a room with high or vaulted ceilings.
People chose smaller homes and lower ceilings, because it was easier to cool off. Thus, the ranch style home was born. There was a great demand for that type of home, and because trees were no longer needed to cool off homes, they could be built closer together, creating more housing.
Today, people around the world are pampered. Many have been born into homes with air conditioners and have had them all their lives. There are not many homes today without air conditioners, especially if in the warmer climate of the country.
Air conditioners have made homes and businesses comfortable for over a century. What many people do not know is that air conditioners also serve as filters for many different ailments that strike millions of people.
Allergies, and Asthma are among the most common breathing problems in the world today. Air conditioners act as filters to clean the air and filter out the triggers that cause attacks.
What started out as a means to provide a cool atmosphere for sick patients turned into one of the most prosperous inventions in the world; not only are air conditioners used in homes and businesses, they have also become a standard feature in many automobiles sold today.
Air conditioners have not only gone global, they have also reached out into the frontiers of outer space. NASA has used air conditioning units for a number of years on their missions to outer space.
There have many improvements and upgrades to air conditioner over the years, and with technology making leaps and bounds everyday, it will be interesting to see what is in the future for air conditioners.
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