Whatever Did People Do Before Air Conditioning?

As a history buff, I cannot resist sharing this blog article with you! Located at http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/7424. This online blog ‘spot’ “provides knowledge junkies with their fix” and shares interesting and little known facts. This particular blog piece describes life before air conditioning. The author ‘Miss Cellania’ included period pictures and topics such as subtropolis.

The piece tells about different ‘experimental’ ways to keep the home cool. Houses, in the earliest of times resembled caves and provided 50-degree comfort in the summer (and winter). Then, as society (and perhaps building practices) developed, techniques to help the cooling process introduced the 10 ft high ceiling, ceiling fans and wrap around porches. However helpful they were, these early cooling devices still fell short of the cooling capacity provided by today’s air conditioner.

What about today’s air conditioners? Well, if your air conditioner is “more than 8 years old, it’s time to get a new one” according to National Geographic’s Green Guide. Their Guide (http://www.thegreenguide.com/products/Appliances/Air%20Conditioners%20(Central) ) explains how to choose the best air conditioner for your home, but also the “back story” of why so much of this SEER rating and environmental control is necessary. They also give some examples of conditioning units that are better “green” buys. They even include a section dedicated to ‘personal health’ and how an air conditioner can either help or harm the homeowner.

“In the midst of sweltering heat waves, air conditioning can be a lifesaver, protecting against heat stroke and hyperthermia. But, without proper maintenance, air conditioners can also be a health hazard. Dirty filters can allow allergens, pesticides and other particulate matter to enter your home from the outside, posing threats to indoor air quality. Exposure to those pollutants can trigger a host of health problems, including allergies and asthma and eye, nose and throat irritation. In offices and schools, those symptoms signify "sick building syndrome," caused by improperly ventilated air conditioning systems, and health problems don't always disappear after an extended period away from the building. Repeated bouts of air conditioner fever, a particularly nasty form of sick building syndrome, can result in pulmonary fibrosis, cough, fatigue and weight loss and sometimes require hospitalization. Ozone depletion caused by HCFCs in the atmosphere also poses health risks. The UN Environment Programme estimates that exposure to the additional UV-B radiation resulting from 10 percent loss of global ozone could lead to 300,000 additional cases of squamous cell cancer and basal cell cancer and 4,500-9,000 additional cases of potentially fatal melanoma worldwide each year. Increased exposure to UV-B rays also poses a significant threat to animal and plant life and consequently many of the earth's food chains.”

Their excellent article concludes with a section that provides links to other articles that may be helpful. Related Articles From the Green Guide: "Keep Your Cool With Less AC," www.thegreenguide.com/doc/121/cool "Ventilating, Vacumming and Filtering Out Allergens," www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/ventilating From Outside Sources: Air Conditioning Contractors of America:http://www.acca.org/ American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: http://www.aceee.org/, 202-429-8873 Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov/, 888-STAR-YES Rocky Mountain Institute: http://www.rmi.org/, 970-927-3851 References A Guide to Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling. Energy Star. May 2005. Choose Green Report: Room Air Conditioning. Green Seal. Summer 1999. "Home Energy Brief - #3 Space Cooling." Rocky Mountain Institute, www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid119.php The Most Energy-Efficient Appliances 2005. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. "Residential Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps Qualified Product List." Energy Star, February 2006, http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/prod_lists/cac_prod_list.pdf%20 Wilson, A. et al. Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2003. --By Solvie Karlstrom, June 2007

Happy Friday to all! And I hope you have an excellent weekend with plenty of rest. Keep cool – according to the heat index, this weekend is going to be warm. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Problems with the website? Email amanda At Sinclairair Dot Com (My email is also posted on the main frame of the blog) and I’ll do my best to see that everything gets taken care of. I’d love to hear from you.