When the heat outside becomes too unbearable, staying inside is the only logical thing to do. Inside, you can experience chilly indoor air even in the hottest of days. Of course, this oasis of cool is one that’s artificially produced, and brought to you by your best mechanical friend, the air conditioner.
Air conditioners installed by your local AC contractor in Haughton are often thought of as just simple machines that cool the surrounding air. However, the effects of air conditioners go beyond atmospheric benefits: They have influenced the way houses are built, where in the country people choose to live, and even how they live their life. With such great clout, one might be tempted to say that air conditioners are the enablers of modern life.
The time before air conditioners
Even without air conditioners, people back then still thought of ways to cool themselves during hot seasons. One of the most common methods was to build houses designed to maximize the flow of outside air. This meant more windows, higher ceilings, and porches where families can lay back on a hot day and sleep on a hot night. Then again, without the true cooling benefits of air conditioners, it’s safe to say that the time before air conditioning was certainly one that was largely less than comfortable.
The First Air Conditioners
The first machine that resembled today’s air conditioners was built by an inventor named Willis Haviland Carrier in 1902. Amusingly, cooling the surrounding air was not the function that Carrier’s machine was initially designed for. Instead, it was built to prevent paper from wrinkling in the hot and humid air in of one of Brooklyn’s old paper companies, and cooling the surrounding air was a mere side effect. Pretty soon, many discovered that this ‘side effect’ was more to their liking, and that’s when a new technology was born.
Significant growth made possible by air conditioners
The Sun Belt states, even with their warm climate, extended summers, and mild winters, went through a period of dramatic growth after World War II. Much of that growth can be attributed to air conditioning systems gaining wider acclaim as technology advanced and industries and their offices opened up. Likewise, if not for air conditioners, Dubai and other hubs of business and technology in hot regions of the globe may never have taken off as well.
Now that you know the important role that air conditioners plays in society, it’s only fair to acknowledge the important role it plays in your home, and the need to keep your AC system running smoothly. Have an expert Haughton AC contractor take a look at your air conditioning system regularly.
(Source: A Brief History of Air Conditioning, Popular Mechanics)
