Home Air Conditioning: A Danger to the Environment

In the early 1900s, air conditioning soared in popularity. It began as a convenience in the workplace allowing laborers to work in comfort thereby increasing productivity. Eventually, the technology advanced so that it could be used in personal residences as well as offices. Interestingly, the New York Stock Exchange was the first major office building to benefit from air conditioning. At the time the stockbrokers, doing their work in their cool air conditioned building, were considered by themselves and others to be working in a truly modern and luxurious environment.

The experiment with air conditioning paid off -- the air conditioning at the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) raised the productivity of that revered institution such that the economy of the entire country expanded. As mentioned above, air conditioning soon became popular outside the workplace and became so inexpensive that regular families and smaller businesses were also able to install air conditioners at their places of residence and work. Obviously this didn’t happen right away; primitive air conditioners were cost prohibitive and many people couldn’t swing the expense.

This topic is especially important summer approaches and the thermometer rises; cooling indoor air through central air can greatly improve people’s ability to work and sleep. Central air conditioning is an excellent means of increasing comfort during the hours of work and play during those steamy summer months. Countries that endure high humidity and high temperatures during the summer season have gratefully accepted the use of air conditioning. Nevertheless, the ability of air conditioners to improve humid conditions can still be greatly improved.

In localities where the sun beats long and hard it is nearly impossible to imagine living without air conditioning. Interestingly, although the main function of air conditioners is cooling they can also process air so that the air will maintain a constant temperature. This is beneficial as wild swings in temperature in room can be harmful to the health of its occupants. Unfortunately, most air conditioners are harmful to the environment and are expensive to run because of the excessive amount of electricity they consume.

Many scientists and environmental experts feel that the widespread use of air conditioning systems have caused the ozone layer to thin. Fortuitously, most air conditioners these days have been redesigned to be more energy efficient and less harmful to the environment when compared with earlier models.