Air conditioning is a system that introduces cold air into a hot space to make it more comfortable. Air conditioning typically is used when temperatures are above 70 degrees. It is used in cars, houses, offices, retail stores, restaurants, and other indoor facilities. Unlike heat, air conditioning is considered a luxury, and it is possible to go without it. Heat is considered to be a necessity and all homes must have it. When heat warnings exist, however, lack of air conditioning can present a problem for many elderly people who may live in older brick homes. Without air conditioning, these types of homes literally turn into an oven at a certain temperatures and can cause death.
Alternatives to air conditioning are fans, Air conditioner installation NYC either electric or handheld, or open windows. Air conditioning is used primarily in the summer when temperatures are higher. Therefore electric bills are usually higher in the summer months. Many electric companies offer budget billing, which balances out the high and low bills into a constant monthly payment. Budget billing is based on usage and may gradually increase over time as usage goes up.
There are two types of air conditioners that are primarily used in homes. Window style units are placed in a window. Window air conditioning mainly cools the room that they are placed in. More expensive units may cool off more of the surrounding rooms. Window air conditioners run on electricity. They are placed in windows because the heat in the room is passed outside and swapped with the cold air coming in. Alternatives to window air conditioning units are wall air conditioners, which do not need to be placed in a window. Window units are more common in older homes.
New construction typically has central air conditioning built in. Central air conditioning runs the air throughout the entire house with the actual unit located outside. A thermostat controls the temperatures of the house. Older thermostats need to be changed manually to the desired temperature. Newer thermostats are programmable. Temperature settings can be programmed to change at certain times of the day. This can help lower electric bills by allowing the house to be warmer when the house is empty. Running central air conditioning uses a lot of electricity but it is generally more energy efficient than window air conditioning. Many older homes use either window units or have no air conditioning at all.
Air conditioning is available in most new cars today as well. In extreme heat, air conditioning provides considerable comfort on a long car ride. In cars operating without air conditioning, one can roll the windows down to let wind blow in. Wind, however, is not as comfortable, and can be noisy, especially if driving on the highway. After a period of time, air conditioning may not work as well. Sometimes recharging the freon gas will help improve performance. Other times, the air conditioning may need more extensive costly repair work. Many times people will choose not to fix the air conditioning in their cars when the cost outweighs the remaining value of the car.
Can you survive the freezing winter days and nights without your heater on? Can you imagine the hot summer months without your air cooling system running all day long? If you can’t, you might want to thank the person who invented the air conditioning system. He made our lives easier and more comfortable.
Air conditioning is the technique of regulating the condition of air for a more comfortable environment for man or industrial products. Four physical properties of air are controlled in air conditioning. These are air temperature, relative humidity, air motion or circulation and the dust particles in air. A control of these four properties is necessary in air conditioning for the consideration of human comfort. Even more precise control over these properties is required in the operation of some industrial air conditioning units. Other properties like odor and air pressure are further controlled in some specific industries.
The control of air temperature in air conditioning includes both heating and cooling processes. Air conditioning provides many applications. Air-conditioned business establishments such as stores, restaurants and theaters attract customers especially during the hot and humid summer season. Modern transportation requires ample air conditioning to provide people with much-needed comfort. Most modern buses, trains, aircraft and passenger cars are equipped with state of the art air conditioning systems that provide total comfort to the traveling public. Huge industrial plants require precise air temperature control to maintain their high level of product quality. Even industrial workers need a more favorable working environment and are usually provided with industrial air conditioning units, in order to function more effectively and efficiently in their operation.
Who must have started with the concept of air conditioning that we are benefiting from today? The cavemen, during pre-historic times, may have started the idea. The extreme chill inside the caves may have prompted them to come up with something that will make their lives more comfortable. They discovered the first fire and used this to warm their caves. Moving fast forward, the subsequent development of temperature control of environment can be traced through the advancement in hearths, open fireplaces and ceramic stoves, but the birth of modern air conditioning has been attributed to Willis H. Carrier. Carrier described the energy relationships that existed in an air and water vapor mixture. In order to enable engineering designers to predict performance of the component parts, Carrier proposed some simplifying steps.
Although the research work in home cooling was done in the 1930s, it wasn’t until the late 1940s that the demands for home cooling systems became high. The great Depression caused a delay in the public acceptance of the home cooling system because of the added burden of expenses the new system brought with it. Many homes were already equipped with air conditioning by 1950s and 1960s.
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