The blueprint for what has been considered the world’s first air conditioning unit was dated July 17th, , by Willis Carrier, and it was then the world changed forever. Carrier had been assigned to design a solution for a printing company out of Brooklyn, New York, known as the Sackett & Wilhelm’s Lithography & Printing Company Air Conditioner Invention Essay, Benjamins Essay Library Link Unpacking Walter, Tan Mom Helps Kid With Homework, How To Write An Artist Business Plan/10() Jun 05, · image caption, The invention of air conditioning radically altered housing in America's so-called "sun belt" The dogtrot house, popular in America's south, was bisected by a covered, open-ended Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins
Air Conditioning: Who Invented It? | Time
Once considered a luxury, this invention is now an essential, allowing us to cool homes, businesses, hospitals, air conditioner invention essay, data centers, laboratories and other buildings vital to our economy and daily lives. In fact, air temperature is so important to us that 48 percent of all energy consumption in American homes is a result of cooling and heating, according to the Energy Information Administration. Like most important breakthroughs, modern commercial and residential air conditioning technology is a result of a series of advancements by scientists and inventors who challenged themselves to come up with creative solutions to problems of the day.
Scroll through our interactive timeline above and read on to learn about some of the key milestones in air conditioning history. In the s, air conditioner invention essay, physician and inventor Dr. John Gorrie of Florida proposed the idea of cooling cities to relieve residents of "the evils of high temperatures.
To get around this expensive logistical challenge, Gorrie began experimenting with the concept of artificial cooling. He designed a machine that created ice using a compressor powered by a horse, water, wind-driven sails or steam and was granted a patent for it in Although Gorrie was unsuccessful at bringing his patented technology to the marketplace -- primarily due to the death of his chief financial backer -- his invention laid the foundation for modern air conditioning and refrigeration.
The idea of artificial cooling went stagnant for several years until engineer Willis Carrier took a job that would result in the invention of the first modern electrical air conditioning unit, air conditioner invention essay. While working for the Buffalo Forge Company inCarrier was tasked with solving a humidity problem that was causing magazine pages to wrinkle at Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company in Brooklyn.
As he continued testing and refining his technology, he also devised and patented an automatic control system for regulating the humidity and temperature of air in textile mills, air conditioner invention essay.
It wasn't long before Carrier realized that humidity control and air conditioning could benefit many other industries, and he eventually broke off from Buffalo Forge, forming Carrier Engineering Corporation with six other engineers.
At the St. Louis World's Fair inorganizers used mechanical refrigeration to cool the Missouri State Building. The system used 35, cubic feet of air per minute to cool the 1,seat auditorium, the rotunda and other rooms within the Missouri State Building.
It marked the first time the American public was exposed to the concept of comfort cooling. A big breakthrough in comfort cooling technology came in the s, when Americans flocked to movie theaters to watch Hollywood stars on the silver screen.
Early cooling systems for public theaters were essentially heating systems modified with refrigeration equipment that distributed cold air through floor air conditioner invention essay, resulting in hot, muggy conditions at air conditioner invention essay levels and much colder temperatures at lower levels, where patrons sometimes resorted to wrapping their feet with newspapers to stay warm.
InCarrier Engineering Corporation installed the first well-designed cooling system for theaters at Metropolitan Theater in Los Angeles, which pumped cool air through higher vents for better humidity control and comfort throughout the building. In May at Rivoli Theater in New York, Carrier publicly debuted a new type of system that used a centrifugal chiller, which had fewer moving parts and compressor stages than existing units. The breakthrough system increased the reliability and lowered the cost of large-scale air conditioners, greatly expanding their use throughout the country.
Despite advancements in cooling technologies, these systems were too large and expensive for homes, air conditioner invention essay. Building off refrigeration technology, Frigidaire introduced a new split-system room cooler to the marketplace in that was small enough for home use and shaped like a radio cabinet. However, the system was heavy, expensive and required a separate, remotely controlled condensing unit. General Electric's Frank Faust improved on air conditioner invention essay design, developing a self-contained room cooler, and General Electric ended up producing 32 similar prototypes from to Around this same time, Thomas Midgley, Albert Henne and Robert McNary of General Motors synthesized chlorofluorocarbon CFC coolants, which became the world's first non-flammable refrigerating fluids, substantially improving the safety of air conditioners.
However, the chemicals would be linked to ozone depletion decades later and were eventually phased out by governments all across the globe after the Montreal Protocol in the s. Hydrofluorocarbons HFCswhich don't air conditioner invention essay the ozone, gain popularity but are eventually linked to climate change. Recent breakthrough research by the Energy Department's Building Techologies Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is resulting in new refrigerants and technologies that are less harmful to the planet.
Home cooling systems got smaller after H. Schultz and J. Sherman filed a patent for an air conditioning unit that could be placed on a window ledge. The units hit the market in but were not widely purchased due to their high cost. Engineer Henry Galson went on to develop a more compact, inexpensive version of the window air conditioner and set up production lines for several manufacturers. By43, of these systems were sold -- and, for the first time, homeowners could enjoy air conditioning without having to make expensive upgrades.
By the late s, most new homes had central air conditioning, and window air conditioners were more affordable than ever, fueling population growth in hot-weather states like Arizona and Florida. Air conditioning is now in nearly million American homes, representing 87 percent of all households, air conditioner invention essay, according to the Energy Information Administration.
As air conditioning use soared in the s, the energy crisis hit. Sincethe Energy Department has issued conservation standards for manufacturers of residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. The program has already driven huge efficiency improvements in new air conditioning technology that has helped consumers save energy and money.
In fact, air conditioner invention essay, new air conditioners today use about 50 percent less energy air conditioner invention essay they did in Right now, the program is working on the air conditioner invention essay big thing in air conditioning: non-vapor compression technology, which doesn't use HFCs that harm the environment, ushering in a new era of cooling. gov History of Air Conditioning.
We take the air conditioner for granted, but imagine air conditioner invention essay life would be like without it, air conditioner invention essay. The Evils of High Temperatures In the s, air conditioner invention essay and inventor Dr. Wrinkled Pages, Revolutionary Solution The idea of artificial cooling went stagnant for several years until engineer Willis Carrier took a job that would result in the invention of the first modern electrical air conditioning unit, air conditioner invention essay.
Public Buildings Get Cool At the St. Bringing Cooling Home Despite advancements in cooling technologies, these systems were too large and expensive for homes. Efficiency Standards Drive Improvements As air conditioning use soared in the s, the energy crisis hit. Check out our Energy Saver infographic to learn how air conditioners work. Stay up-to-date on how the Energy Department is working to improve air conditioning technology.
Paul Lester is a Digital Content Specialist in the Office of Public Affairs.
The Cruel Irony Of Air Conditioning
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Jul 20, · We take the air conditioner for granted, but imagine what life would be like without it. Once considered a luxury, this invention is now an essential, allowing us to cool homes, businesses, hospitals, data centers, laboratories and other buildings vital to our economy and daily lives. In fact, air temperature is so important to us that 48 percent of all energy Nov 20, · His invention introduced the use of air conditioners worldwide. Basically, an air conditioner is like a refrigerator. It uses the evaporation of a refrigerant, such as Freon, into a gas. An air conditioner has two sets of coils, one for the hot Freon gas and the other for the cool Freon gas. Usually in a school's air conditioning system, the hot gas coils are outside in a Jul 27, · Though people have attempted to outsmart the weather for centuries, the mechanical air conditioner did not arrive in the U.S. until Carrier invented it in Carrier, who saw himself as the Author: Mahita Gajanan
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