Modern air conditioning methods have only been employed for about a century. However, humans have been developing creative ways to cool the air indoors for thousands of years. The history of air conditioning is quite long and interesting. It has evolved from simple physics to advanced chemistry over the years as scientists experiment with various liquids.
Air Conditioning in Ancient Times
In Ancient Egypt, commonfolk hung wet mats made of reeds in their windows so that when the wind passed through them, it cooled the air blowing inside. Meanwhile, their neighbors were building complex architecture that was engineered to produce cool air circulation.
The Persians build ice pits known as “Yakhchal” made of heat-resistant building materials. Part of the structure was underground and the building served as an icebox that kept frozen blocks of water collected in the Winter cold throughout the Summer months!
All over the Middle East, wind catchers were made atop buildings. As the name implies, they caught the wind and circulated it into buildings to encourage healthy airflow.
Even the Romans jumped on board the cooling train and used their aqueduct systems to pump cold water through their walls!
But these methods were far from perfect, and not everyone had the luxury of living with an engineered cooling system. Most people simply cooled themselves with water and headed for the shade.
Advances in Air Conditioning Science
Air conditioning as we know it didn’t begin to develop until the 1700s when great minds like Benjamin Franklin began playing with liquids. Most of these scientists weren’t looking to cool homes, but rather, they had other solutions in mind.
Then something happened. A doctor named John Gorrie invented a machine that cooled the air through the expansion of liquid to a gas. He pursued this dream for the sake of health. He lived in Florida and hoped that his invention would reduce the likelihood of illnesses and provide comfort to people, especially those in hospitals.
Although he patented his machine in 1851, the idea never took off. Unfortunately, you needed a horse, steam, water, or wind power to get the compressor going, and that wasn’t easy to come by. But his design surely sparked the inspiration for future refrigeration and air conditioning inventions.
In 1902, Willis Carrier invented a dehumidifier for the magazine printing presses at the Buffalo Forge Company. It had the familiar cool coils that are utilized in air conditioners to this day.
Willis soon broke away from that business to start his own and engineered the first electric air conditioner. Mr. Carrier is known as the Father of Air Conditioning because he not only invented but industrialized air conditioners with the help of six other engineers.
People flocked to theatres to experience the cool, crisp air they provided. But these machines were still too large and expensive to be available to the general public.
Finally, in 1929, Frigidaire revolutionized the air conditioner by making Willis Carrier’s design smaller as a split system with a separate condensing unit. A few years later, engineers from all over began to improve on the way the air conditioner was designed. Big names you may recognize like General Motors and General Electric were among the companies working hard to make ACs smaller and more affordable.
But it wasn’t until the 1940s that window air conditioners hit the market. Henry Galson made cooling systems small enough to fit on a window ledge and cheap enough that most families could afford them! Within 20 years, most homes had a central air conditioner or window air conditioner cooling them.
With this advancement in technology, more people felt comfortable moving to hot temperature climates like Florida, and our populations boomed!
Energy Efficiency
With an increase in the use of air conditioners in the United States, energy consumption skyrocketed. In response, the Department of Energy created the Appliance and Equipment Standards Program.
This program has set standards for air conditioning manufacturers that lower greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide emissions, and save billions on energy costs. And through their Emerging Technologies Program the Energy Department is driving more advancements in cooling technology.
One of their largest focuses is finding a way to make air conditioners completely environmentally friendly. Their research is currently looking into non-vapor compression technologies that may one day be the standard for all AC units in America.
Action Air Conditioning in Tampa Bay Florida
Within the long history of air conditioning, Action Air Conditioning has been serving the good people of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties for over 30 years! Call on us for all your cooling needs!
Clean, cool air balanced at just the right temperature should be circulating through your home or business, and we can make that happen. If you need a new air conditioner installed or an old one maintenanced or repaired, our friendly representatives can assist you.
Just fill out our form or give us a call!