Life-Changing Effects After Invention of Air Conditioning

For years, humans tried to find ways to cool the air without much success. The ancient Roman emperor Elagabalus once ordered snow be brought down from the mountains and piled in his garden to keep his home cool in the summer. In the early 19th century, Frederic Tudor thought it was a good idea to cut blocks of ice from the frozen waters of the northern U.S. and ship them to warmer parts of the globe … and made a boatload of money doing it.

As recently as 1881, a wounded President James Garfield was kept comfortable during the last months of his life with an extremely expensive contraption that blew air over six tons of ice to lower his room’s temperature by 20 degrees.

The inefficient ice model was finally disrupted in 1902 when Willis Carrier invented what would become the modern-day air conditioner. His original goal was to reduce the humidity in the publishing house where he worked so the paper wouldn’t constantly expand and contract with changing humidity conditions. However, Carrier’s invention had the pleasant side effect of cooling the air and making workers more comfortable, and he soon left the publishing firm to start the Carrier Corporation.

Before air conditioning, homes had to be designed with natural cooling in mind. This often meant thicker walls made of stone or adobe, higher ceilings that allowed heat to rise and kept the lower levels of multi-story houses cool, more windows to increase airflow and porches with overhangs where families could escape the sweltering summer heat and enjoy the occasional breeze. 

The iconic Southern dogtrot style home is a perfect example of how architecture can serve a functional purpose. In the traditional design, the house is halved by an open corridor which allows breezes to circulate throughout. The warmer areas of the house, such as the kitchen, were kept on the opposite side from the bedroom. A large porch spanned the entire front of the abode for enjoyment in the cooler evenings and nights.

Since the advent of A/C, homes are entirely different. They must be designed with central air and electric wiring in mind, and they no longer need to rely on as many windows, shade trees or vaulted ceilings to stay at a comfortable 75 degrees. Skyscrapers have also become possible, with even the highest floors being chilled by air conditioning. In essence, A/C has expanded our architectural options.

Air conditioning made entire states more habitable, inspiring a mass migration to the “Sun Belt” region, which is comprised of the states in the lower third of the U.S. The percentage of the U.S. population concentrated in the Sun Belt increased from 28 to 40 percent in just 50 years’ time. The migration began in 1950, which roughly corresponds to the increased public interest in A/C units right after WW2.1

Several people, such as Steven Johnson, an author and host of the show “How We Got to Now,” have made claims that this migration inspired a shift in the political platform of the Republican Party.2 In general, the Sun Belt states have a reputation for attracting older retirees, who tend to have more conservative views than the general population. While the Sun Belt is now experiencing a renewed influx of younger, more Democratic voters, the presence of older conservatives in the Sun Belt during the second half of the 20th century may have been enough to inspire the Ronald Reagan-style platform that continues to resonate strongly with many Republican voters today.

There is extensive evidence that air conditioning can keep offices at temperatures that are ideal for maximizing worker productivity. This can be a game-changer for companies that want to maintain output during the summer, or for entire countries with warm climates that want to increase their economic standing.

The debate is no longer about whether A/C can improve productivity or not; now researchers want to know what temperature is ideal for optimal worker productivity. Actually creating the perfect conditions is a nearly impossible task, however, since people have vastly different temperature needs. Women, for example, work better in environments approximately 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer compared to men. Researchers estimate the ideal air-conditioned temperature is likely somewhere between 71.6 and 75.2 degrees Fahrenheit.3

Like most inventions, air conditioning was not available to the public at an affordable price for many years following its invention. Most original adopters of the technology were businesses and the extremely wealthy. One of the largest A/C buyers was the movie theater industry, which had historically closed poorly ventilated theaters during the hot summer months. Movie theaters were the primary way the public experienced air conditioning all throughout the late 1920s and 1930s. Summer blockbusters surged in popularity, and air conditioning helped usher in Hollywood’s Golden Age.

One of today’s largest industries was essentially made possible by the invention of air conditioning: the computer and tech industry. As anyone who mines bitcoin knows, tech gives off a lot of heat. Most computers will automatically shut off if temperatures soar too high for operation, and this is especially true of the largest computer systems, which must be kept in air-conditioned rooms at all times.

Despite all the positive effects air conditioning has had on the modern world, it has also had negative effects on the environment. In the early days of A/C, units used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as their coolant. What people didn’t know at the time was that CFCs were creating holes in the Earth’s ozone layer, allowing excess UV light to penetrate the atmosphere. The industry then shifted to using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the 1990s. However, HFCs accelerate global warming, which in turn increases the need for air conditioning, leading to a never-ending cycle of hot and cold. The U.S. Department of Energy is now working on non-vapor compression technology to potentially replace HFC cooling altogether.

Virginia temperatures will soon be climbing, and when they do, you’ll want to be able to rely on your A/C unit to keep your home cool and comfortable. At Bogue Oil, Inc., we do much more than heating and oil delivery. We also provide energy-efficient air conditioning units from trusted brands like Carrier, Goodman and Trane so you can save on your electric bill and enjoy your spring and summer to the fullest.

For more information on air conditioner installation, maintenance and repair, call us at (757) 855-6251 today!