HVAC doesn’t always
mean air conditioning. In fact, the acronym stands for “heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning”, which covers everything related
to controlling thermal comfort. HVAC systems have come a long way
since their inception, and this blog post will delve into several
main points of HVAC history.
1000s-1400s – During
this period, the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians all
churned up pioneering heating and cooling solutions. One notable
invention was the Roman hypocaust,
which is a central heating
system consisted of a furnace in a basement that distributed heat
throughout homes. By the 1400s, chimneys were pretty common. It is
also known that Leonardo Da Vinci once built a water-driven fan to
ventilate several rooms during that time.
1500s-1800s – During
the 1500s, ventilating machines were extensively used in French mines
to direct fresh air into the shaft. The U.S. House of Parliament also
had a crude ventilation system to cool the building during sessions.
By the 1800s, Benjamin Franklin introduced the world’s first stove,
which also happened to be the first steam heating system.
1900s – Furnace
systems with centrifugal fans, as well as high-pressure steam
heating, were extensively used during this time. On the cooling side,
it was mainly about Willis Carrier, the inventor of the modern air
conditioner. Carrier’s invention resulted into numerous other
innovations, much of which are still in use today.
