The Many Uses of Air Conditioning
During the twentieth century
air conditioning has been used in many ways to enhance our quality of life.
Since the 1950s new houses and commercial buildings have been built very much
with the comfort of the occupants in mind. Although the technology to achieve a
high degree of comfort in buildings was available many years before this, it was
not really financially viable for mass production in domestic properties at the
low end of the market. Commercial air conditioning has a longer history, but
recent advances have improved the efficiency and reliability of the equipment to
a marked degree.
Air conditioning has actually been used in private Atlanta homes since the times
of the Ancient Egyptians, although of course this was strictly for the rich and
powerful. It was only once air conditioning became established in commercial
use, in textile mills where temperature and humidity control are absolutely
essential, that it transferred into homes on any large scale. The years
immediately following the Second World War saw the greatest expansion in the
inclusion of air conditioning built in to new homes. These developments have had
a profound effect on the construction industry and on urban planning, because it
has allowed for the building of much taller buildings. This is because the speed
of the wind at high altitude makes natural ventilation difficult.
As well as enjoying comfortable living conditions at home, many modern workers
carry out their daily job in an environment enhanced for optimum comfort and
performance. Scientific tests have now been carried out to ascertain the optimum
temperature conditions for different types of work tasks to be carried out in
and advanced systems of air conditioning have now been developed to produce
these conditions no matter what the weather conditions outside. Of course there
are some jobs where the comfort of the workers is secondary to the needs of the
process being carried out. Today's air conditioning evolved from the need for
temperature and humidity controls in textile mills.
Of course the great change in the transportation habits of people in the Western
world has also led to another common use for air conditioning. Both commercial
public transport vehicles and private cars are now routinely fitted with systems
to filter, regulate and even purify the air. With the modern lifestyle in the
Western world meaning that more time is spent in vehicles, the need has
increased to make the environment in those vehicles more comfortable. It is not
only on hot days that the inside of a vehicle becomes uncomfortable to be in. On
a cool but sunny day the temperature can still rise to an uncomfortable level in
a fully enclosed vehicle. As well as helping with temperature control, air
conditioning can help with reducing pollution levels in an environment where
people are very much at risk.
From being an exclusive preserve of the rich and powerful in ancient times, air
conditioning has become so common that there can hardly be anyone in the Western
world who does not derive some benefit from it. Even if you live in one of the
few modern homes not equipped with it, the chances are that you will work in a
workplace fitted with some form of temperature and humidity control. Air
conditioning is one of the great benefits to have become available to the masses
in the twentieth century and with modern research the ozone harming gases are
being replaced with more environmentally friendly options. There is no doubt
that air conditioning will continue to benefit humanity throughout the coming
century.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Air Conditioning
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
"-
At the current time, we use the home warrantee company for all the
components in our home, with the exception of our air conditioner
and heating unit, where we continue to contact Betts Heating & Air
for all the essential repairs to our system." --
Michael and Melinda Kennedy,
Acworth GA
