Air Conditioning

Air conditioning in Florida is a necessity to live comfortably during the hot summer months. It's just amazing when you think about it that you are able to just set the temperature to a cool 73 and just sit back and relax. Imagine what it must have been like many years ago before air conditioning was invented. The humidity would be enough to drive many people crazy. So what exactly is this wonderful invention that has made our homes a shelter from the unbearable heat and humidity possible? Air conditioning or an air conditioner (AC, A-C, A/C) is a generic term for an appliance or system designed to control the air temperature and humidity within an area. Most current air conditioning systems or HVAC systems are used for cooling as well as heating depending on the air properties at a given time. These HVAC units are often referred to as central air conditioning systems, whole house units, central units, or HVAC systems.

Willis Carrier is recognized as the inventor of air conditioning. His invention not only controlled the temperature, but also the humidity. Carrier's “Apparatus for Treating The Air” was initially sold to industrial and manufacturing buildings and a few hospitals due to the fact that the units were expensive, large, and dangerous due to the ammonia that was used as a coolant at that time.

In 1922, Carrier replaced the ammonia with the non-toxic coolant dielene and added a central compressor to allow the unit to be made smaller. These changes helped A/C units become more widely used and installed in large buildings like stores and movie theaters. Air conditioning remained for commercial and industrial use until after World War II, when technological advances made the air conditioner more affordable to install in homes. Even though today we take it for granted, few of us would want to live in a world without air conditioning, especially in South Florida.