It wasn’t always as convenient as the push of a button
In today’s times, we’re very accustomed to having essential goods all around us that work as simple as a few buttons, such as cellphones, tv remotes, the internet, and of course our everyday home appliances.
- Whether we’re microwaving food, doing laundry, or turning the lights on and off, it’s typically not a physical strain on our bodies.
So when it comes to our home comfort for heating and cooling, we might assume this is one of the commodities that have always operated like this as far as we can remember. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the beginnings of modern air conditioning were being put into practice starting with refrigeration cooling systems. In perspective, it really wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century where the first cooling system was developed for a commercial practice. However, the practice of air conditioning dates back as far as ancient Roman and even Egpytian times. The Egyptians hung wet reeds in open windows and doorways, so anytime a draft of wind came by, it would cool the room and allow some moisture to circulate in the air. The Romans took it up a notch by running cool water through indoor pipes laying inside the walls, usually villas, reducing the temperature when hot air would settle in. This model is not far from the common boiler system that induces water insulated in running tubes, but instead the vice versa application. We have come far in modern times addressing our heating and cooling needs, but it wasn’t always so simple. In ancient times, you had to be the technician or at least accompanied by one, in order to be the consumer as a default.