Fun facts about
Air Conditioning and
Heating
Air Conditioning Fun Fact - Invented then abandoned.
In 1820, British scientist and inventor Michael Faraday discovered that compressing and liquefying ammonia could chill air when the liquefied ammonia was allowed to evaporate. In 1842, Florida physician John Gorrie used compressor technology to create ice, which he used to cool air for his patients in his hospital in Apalachicola, Florida. He hoped eventually to use his ice-making machine to regulate the temperature of buildings. He even envisioned centralized air conditioning that could cool entire cities. Though his prototype leaked and performed irregularly, Gorrie was granted a patent in 1851. His hopes for its success vanished soon afterwards when his chief financial backer died; Gorrie did not get the money he needed to develop the machine, dying impoverished in 1855. The idea of air conditioning faded away for 50 years.[Source: Wikipedia.org.]
Heating Fun Fact: Fireplaces—Nothing new.
Introduced during the 12th century, the fireplace chimney was sufficiently
high above the building roof to provide adequate draft for the fire.
Stoves and braziers of various types were developed by the ancient
Romans and are still used in some parts of the world.
[Source: History.com Encyclopedia: Heating Ventilating and Air
Conditioning.]
Radiant Heating Fun Fact - Do as the Romans do!
The energy-efficient principles of radiant floor heating are nothing new. The Romans used radiant floor heating more than two thousand years ago. In one example, in a fortress built by King Herod at Masada in Israel, the floors were laid out as a series of stone slabs raised up on pedestals, with a furnace located below the floor. By placing the fire here, the draught would take the heat under the floor, and up through the walls to chimneys located in the corners of the building. Other examples of their ingenuity abound in Roman ruins throughout the Empire. Roman technology that harnesses the heat and puts it where it is needed most clearly demonstrates that a radiant heat system has proven to be the most comfortable and efficient heating system throughout the centuries. - [Source: Lawrence Drake, Radiant Heating Panel, Executive Director]