A Brief History of Heating and Cooling

Do you know when heating and cooling techniques began? 

From the 1000s to the 1400s, the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Indians all had their ways of cooling and heating. 

• The Romans used what was known as a hypocaust - a central heating system which has the furnace in the "basement" and flutes to distribute heat. The rich were able to use this tool to heat different rooms and even create steam for baths. 
• For cooling, the Egyptians used man-powered fans while the Indians utilized rope fans. 
• Chimneys became common toward the end of the 1400s as private rooms became more common.

The 1500s and 1600s held more advancements in heating and cooling technology. 

• In France, ventilation began to be used in the mines. 
• Chimneys became popular in Europe and America and wood and coal were in high demand to heat rooms. 
• This was also the era of the invention of the thermometer by Galileo. 
• The U.S. Parliament also received it's first exhaust ventilation system.

The 1700s and 1800s was an era of inventions for heating and cooling.

• The first ventilator using centrifugal fan was created
• Benjamin Franklin invented the first stove known as the first steam heating system
• What we know today as direct fired heat exchangers started to be used in England
• The invention of the steam engine
• Hhe development of the first warm furnace
• Heat began to be used for energy
• Water spray systems began to be used in houses for humidifying and cooling
• The first cooling apparatus on record was made by American physician Dr. John Gorrie. In the 1830s, Dr. Gorrie designed a machine for cooling hospital rooms--was a fan which blew across a container of ice

The 1900's brought a flow of inventions and the evolution of the modern HVAC systems. 

• Willis Carrier, known as the father of air conditioning, designed a pray driven temperature and humidity controlled system as well as a system for offices, apartments, hotels, and hospitals
• The New York Stock Exchange was equipped with a central cooling and heating system
• A company called Buffalo Forge invented the first fan coil dehumidifying system
• The same company also created the first spray type air conditioning device
• They also created a system to remove dust from steamers
• Sturtevant created the first railway and industrial air conditioning system, including a backward inclined blade centrifugal pump
• The first centrifugal refrigeration machine was made for air conditioning large spaces
• Hydronic circulatory pumps and radiators started to be used in the air conditioning systems for circulating water in the system
• The first residential air conditioning was created 
• Room coolers that mimicked refrigeration technology were made

From there, HVAC continued to develop into the modern systems we know today. Let the innovation continue!