History of HVAC
Your heating system and how it was developed is likely not something that you think of regularly. Until your HVAC system stops working, it’s likely that you never really dwell on the idea of this system seeing and cooling your entire home. A high quality HVAC system will improve the comfort of your family throughout the year and by regularly maintaining one it’s possible that you could cut up to 50% of your utility bills throughout the home. The idea of heating and cooling the air is not a new concept but it’s something that started hundreds of years ago long before even the use of electricity in heating and cooling.
Egyptians first used manpower at a series of ropes to animate fans that would work to cool very large spaces. These types of cooling systems were also quite popular throughout the mid-1700s in India as well. Several inventions were produced during this time including the first stove, the first steam engine and more. With the discovery of latent heat it was possible to start using water heating systems and other inventions to combine together the basics that would make up a more modern HVAC system.
The momentum of HVAC technology would continue long into the 1830s with inventions like the original ice bucket air-conditioner. As air was blown over ice it work to cool the surrounding area. This was an invention from the 1830s by Dr. John Gorrie and it was the compression over the buckets of ice that created a cooling area for the home. Although there was no official financial backing for the invention, the prototype was logged and this remains one of the very first air-conditioning systems. This basic idea would eventually guide the process of HVAC technology moving forward into the future.
Throughout the early part of the 20th century modern HVAC evolution began:
In the year 1902 Willis Carrier invented a machine that could actually keep paper from being ruined by humidity. The apparatus for treating air was designed to be a similar format to the air device that used an ice bucket. Air blows over many of the colder coils and that eventually controls the humidity and temperature through the device. A number of other companies had interest to use the machine and a company was formed called the carrier air conditioning Company of America. This is one of the very first modern HVAC systems and carrier is still a company that’s in business today producing modern air conditioners.
Air-conditioning in the movies was one of the first additions of using these devices for temperature regulation and comfort. Air-conditioning was first introduced in the year 1925 at the Rivolitheater in New York City. They installed a carrier style system to cool off the patrons and eventually became very much in demand for use with the public.
The first individual air-conditioning units were made to function on a window ledge in the year 1931 but these would be priced at a cost so expensive, most consumers would be unable to afford them. In 1939 the first air-conditioned car hit the market but this was again an option that was quite expensive for the average family.
It wasn’t until the 1950s with the post-World War II boom of economics, that air-conditioning became much more reasonable for the average family home. Throughout the 1950s there were millions of units that were installed across North America.
In the year 1970 central air became a new standard for air-conditioning. New refrigerants like Freon changed the nature of residential comfort and improvements with inverter style compressors and eco-friendly materials, ensured that HVAC systems could only improve in efficiency over time.
New types of coolants developed in 1994 led to more eco-friendly cooling technology that went beyond Freon. From introducing new eco-friendly cooling technology, companies also worked to drastically improve the energy efficiency of modern HVAC systems.
Today, HVAC systems to allow you to save an extensive amount of money on the cost of your heating and cooling even if you are willing to upgrade a device that’s just a few years old. Technology and energy efficiency throughout these modern devices utilized zone systems, various hybrid heating systems, improvements with compressor technology and duct tech too. HVAC systems which are commercially affordable today are some of the world’s most efficient and environmentally friendly. They can offer precision controls and help us to keep our comfort like never before.
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