Refrigerated Air Conditioner

[Athina Dollison]

Once considered a luxury, this invention is now an essential, allowing us to cool homes, businesses, hospitals, data centers, laboratories and other buildings vital to our economy and daily lives. In fact, air temperature is so important to us that 48 percent of all energy consumption in American homes is a result of cooling and heating, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Like most important breakthroughs, modern commercial and residential air conditioning technology is a result of a series of advancements by scientists and inventors who challenged themselves to come up with creative solutions to problems of the day. Scroll through our interactive timeline above and read on to learn about some of the key milestones in air conditioning history.

In the 1840s, physician and inventor Dr. John Gorrie of Florida proposed the idea of cooling cities to relieve residents of "the evils of high temperatures." Gorrie believed that cooling was the key to avoiding diseases like malaria and making patients more comfortable, but his rudimentary system for cooling hospital rooms required ice to be shipped to Florida from frozen lakes and streams in the northern United States.

To get around this expensive logistical challenge, Gorrie began experimenting with the concept of artificial cooling. He designed a machine that created ice using a compressor powered by a horse, water, wind-driven sails or steam and was granted a patent for it in 1851. Although Gorrie was unsuccessful at bringing his patented technology to the marketplace -- primarily due to the death of his chief financial backer -- his invention laid the foundation for modern air conditioning and refrigeration.

The idea of artificial cooling went stagnant for several years until engineer Willis Carrier took a job that would result in the invention of the first modern electrical air conditioning unit. While working for the Buffalo Forge Company in 1902, Carrier was tasked with solving a humidity problem that was causing magazine pages to wrinkle at Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company in Brooklyn.

It wasn't long before Carrier realized that humidity control and air conditioning could benefit many other industries, and he eventually broke off from Buffalo Forge, forming Carrier Engineering Corporation with six other engineers.

At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, organizers used mechanical refrigeration to cool the Missouri State Building. The system used 35,000 cubic feet of air per minute to cool the 1,000-seat auditorium, the rotunda and other rooms within the Missouri State Building. It marked the first time the American public was exposed to the concept of comfort cooling. A big breakthrough in comfort cooling technology came in the 1920s, when Americans flocked to movie theaters to watch Hollywood stars on the silver screen.

Early cooling systems for public theaters were essentially heating systems modified with refrigeration equipment that distributed cold air through floor vents, resulting in hot, muggy conditions at upper levels and much colder temperatures at lower levels, where patrons sometimes resorted to wrapping their feet with newspapers to stay warm. In 1922, Carrier Engineering Corporation installed the first well-designed cooling system for theaters at Metropolitan Theater in Los Angeles, which pumped cool air through higher vents for better humidity control and comfort throughout the building.

In May 1922 at Rivoli Theater in New York, Carrier publicly debuted a new type of system that used a centrifugal chiller, which had fewer moving parts and compressor stages than existing units. The breakthrough system increased the reliability and lowered the cost of large-scale air conditioners, greatly expanding their use throughout the country.

Despite advancements in cooling technologies, these systems were too large and expensive for homes. Building off refrigeration technology, Frigidaire introduced a new split-system room cooler to the marketplace in 1929 that was small enough for home use and shaped like a radio cabinet. However, the system was heavy, expensive and required a separate, remotely controlled condensing unit. General Electric's Frank Faust improved on this design, developing a self-contained room cooler, and General Electric ended up producing 32 similar prototypes from 1930 to 1931.

Around this same time, Thomas Midgley, Albert Henne and Robert McNary of General Motors synthesized chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) coolants, which became the world's first non-flammable refrigerating fluids, substantially improving the safety of air conditioners. However, the chemicals would be linked to ozone depletion decades later and were eventually phased out by governments all across the globe after the Montreal Protocol in the 1990s. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which don't destroy the ozone, gain popularity but are eventually linked to climate change. Recent breakthrough research by the Energy Department's Building Techologies Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is resulting in new refrigerants and technologies that are less harmful to the planet.

Home cooling systems got smaller after H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman filed a patent for an air conditioning unit that could be placed on a window ledge. The units hit the market in 1932 but were not widely purchased due to their high cost.

Engineer Henry Galson went on to develop a more compact, inexpensive version of the window air conditioner and set up production lines for several manufacturers. By 1947, 43,000 of these systems were sold -- and, for the first time, homeowners could enjoy air conditioning without having to make expensive upgrades.

By the late 1960s, most new homes had central air conditioning, and window air conditioners were more affordable than ever, fueling population growth in hot-weather states like Arizona and Florida. Air conditioning is now in nearly 100 million American homes, representing 87 percent of all households, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Since 1992, the Energy Department has issued conservation standards for manufacturers of residential central air conditioners and heat pumps. The initial standard is expected to net about $29 billion in energy bill savings from 1993 to 2023. The standard passed in 2006 is anticipated to result in around $70 billion in energy bill savings from 2006 to 2035 and avoid more than 369 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of about 72 million cars.

The program has already driven huge efficiency improvements in new air conditioning technology that has helped consumers save energy and money. In fact, new air conditioners today use about 50 percent less energy than they did in 1990.

But now, who do you call, what questions do you ask? Anyone can put some boxes on your roof, but who will be there when you need them? How long will it take, who will be in my house? Will they make a mess, will they clean up? Are they licensed and will they pull permits if required? Its not just about price, its about who will do the work and will they be there if you need them.

Is it time to convert your old swamp cooler to refrigerated air? Give us a call for a no obligation estimate. We offer 100% financing options and 0% interest OAC in El Paso and payments as low as $81.00 for a complete new ac system installed. Call the guys in the yellow booties to help you convert to refrigerated air today.

Now that you want to convert to refrigerated air and allow you to enjoy the comfort of cool air, you have come to the right place! SoBellas Home Services specializes in refrigerated air conversions from your old evaporative cooling systems with state of the art SoBellas Home Services Signature Series equipment. We can design a new system to fit your home and budget.

You might be wondering about operating cost. The new refrigerated air systems that we install in El Paso offer efficiencies that compare very closely to your current evaporative cooling system, and without the water usage!

Air conditioners do not require windows or doors to be open in order to operate, which means a safer and more controlled indoor environment. Lastly, for the seasons when heat is needed in the morning, but cooling is needed in the afternoon, switching from heating to cooling is automatic with air conditioning. No more dampers to contend with or freezing and leaking water lines. Give the guys in the yellow booties a call today to convert to refrigerated air.

When looking into the cost to convert evporative cooler to refrigerated air, the cost for the various unit sizes may vary considerably, based on the SEER rating and the size of the unit. The SEER rating means Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and is best compared to Miles per Gallon on an automobile. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the unit will be.

Other factors that may influence the cost of an air conditioner conversion are your current electrical capabilities in the home as well as the ductwork in your home. Some homes converting from swamp cooler to refrigerated air will need an electrical panel upgrade to handle the new air conditioners energy consumption needs.

The first step in converting a swamp cooler to refrigerated air is an in-depth home evaluation by one of our comfort consultants to truly understand what it takes to correctly convert your home to refrigerated air conditioning. Call the guys in the yellow booties for El Paso refrigerated air conversion.

A refrigerated AC conversion is a home improvement project that comes with upfront costs. It is true, a refrigerated unit can cost considerably more than a swamp cooler. However, many homeowners feel the cost is well justified. A refrigerated AC is actually a big upgrade from the average evaporative cooler.

A refrigerated AC unit also comes with a digital thermostat. This gives homeowners the ability to ability to set the temperature in the home and let the AC do the rest. Some units come with smart home features that allow users to control temperatures from a phone or device.

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