Discover the Wonder of Air Conditioning

Air conditioners were described as, “the greatest contribution to civilization in this century…” by British scholar S.F. Markham in 1947. While we largely take these incredible machines for granted today, it was not so long ago that mankind was forced to endure the heat during hot summers. The desire to find a way to escape this heat had driven people to try and come up with air conditioning for millenniums. For example, during one particularly hot summer, the Roman emperor Elagabalus dispatched 1,000 slaves to the mountains to gather snow for him.

As you can imagine these early attempts were of little consequence to the development of the air conditioner. The first real breakthrough would come in 1820 when British scientist Michael Faraday discovered, that by compressing and liquefying ammonia, he could chill air when it was allowed to evaporate. Over the next few decades, scientists struggled with how take advantage of this phenomena for practical purposes. It would not be until 1902, when Willis Carrier invented the first modern electrical air conditioning unit in Buffalo, NY, that modern air conditioning would really begin. The next big innovation was the window unit air conditioner, first introduced in 1932. However, it would take several decades before it was affordable enough for most people.

Today, 65.9% of homes in the United States have central air conditioning, while 22.7 have room unit air conditioners according to the US Census. The popularity of air conditioners is a testament to their value in society. In order to make sure that your air conditioner does not breakdown when you need it most, experts recommend having it serviced by an air conditioner repair services technician once a year, before the spring. These technicians will also be able to provide any air conditioner repairs if needed. To find a technician near you, look online or in the yellow pages. More can be found here.