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Brisbane Winter is Upon US! And So Is Commercial Air Conditioning

June 17, 2016 by Webgator

“Winter is the perfect time to look after commercial air conditioning.”

New air conditioning compressor near the wallIt might seem strange to talk about commercial air conditioning in Brisbane during the winter, especially when we’ve not long since suffered the coldest winter temperatures for more than 100 years, but if you have employees who feel unable to take their coat off in the office – the very ones who were continually sweating last summer – you are in need of some serious commercial air conditioning care now. Here are a few reasons why the winter is Brisbane is exactly the right time to tend to your commercial air conditioning:

#1. AIR CONDITIONING IS FOR WINTER, TOO

There’s a popular misconception that air conditioning is a necessity only for summer. Our workplaces are like thermos flasks in reverse: without heat regulation they’ll keep us cold in winter and hot in summer. Opening doors and windows only adds a security risk when it’s hot: if there’s no air, then it’s a futile exercise.
In the winter, air conditioning is used to heat internal ambient temperatures. That means your employees will be working in the ideal environment all year round.

#2. WARMING A COLD OFFICE

Commercial air conditioning works in a number of ways. In the winter, a reverse cycle air conditioner simply reverses the process it uses during the summer. Instead of taking hot air from the inside, cooling it and circulating, the refrigerant can take heat form the air (even from outside, and even in winter) and use it to warm the office.

#3. REDUCED MAINTENANCE COSTS

Some employers believe that the winter is a time to reduce energy bills, and that air conditioning is a prime target. This could be a false economy. Leave commercial air conditioning turned off for a period of time and it could mean a larger bill when you turn it back on in the summer and find it’s not working effectively. By running during the winter, you’ll keep on top of maintenance more easily – and if there is any maintenance required, it’s unlikely to be an expensive and major overhaul.

#4. DRIVE A HOT BARGAIN IN THE COLD WEATHER

Most air conditioning companies are quieter in the winter, so this is an ideal time to make a purchase. May might be the best time to buy commercial air conditioning, but June and July are not far behind.

#5. HURRY TO BENEFIT FROM A BONUS EFTPOS CASH CARD

If you are considering investing in new commercial air conditioning, until the end of June Brisbane Air have once again partnered with Mitsubishi Electric to offer our clients a bonus Eftpos Cash Card worth up to $500. On top of this, our top-rated local and technical knowledge means we’re happy to offer a comprehensive 5-year warranty on all new commercial air conditioning installations.

By caring for your commercial air conditioning in the winter, you’ll not only benefit your employees, you’ll benefit your bottom line, too.

To find out how your business can benefit from commercial air conditioning designed to provide benefits every working day of the year, contact Brisbane Air today.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

Air Conditioning History

May 19, 2016 by Webgator

Air Conditioner HistoryThroughout history, mankind has made continuous attempts to adapt to the physical discomfort of living in hot climates. From taking a nap in the shade to avoid the noon day sun, to creating architecture specifically designed to utilize our planet’s natural ventilation streams, the history of the human race is liberally sprinkled with examples of our desire to keep cool. Yet it is only in the last 100 years have we succeeded in developing mechanical systems that enable us to reach beyond simply taking advantage of our geographical situation to control our surrounding temperatures.

Dr. John Gorrie

While Willis Haviland Carrier is generally recognized as the ‘father’ of air conditioning, inventors have been fiddling around with the idea of cooling systems as far back as Benjamin Franklin.

It’s Franklin, and Cambridge professor John Hadley, who in 1758 make the discovery that liquids which evaporate faster than water, like alcohol or other volatile liquids, have the pleasing effect of lowering the temperature of an object far enough to freeze water.

Some sixty years later, English inventor Michael Faraday achieves the same result when he compresses and liquidizes ammonia.

The first ice-machine is developed by Dr. John Gorrie in Florida in the 1830’s. He uses compression to produce ice and then creates a system to blow air over the ice to cool the hospital where he works. Recognizing the potential of the device, Gorrie patents his invention in 1851 with ambitious plans to cool buildings all around the world. Unfortunately, his plans fail due to lack of financial backing.

It is the assassination attempt on President James Garfield in 1881 that leads to the creation of the first crude cooling unit. In an effort to keep their wounded President cool and comfortable, Naval Engineers create a box-shaped device filled with wet cloth and blow hot air over the top. This produces a flow of cold air closer to the ground. The device is capable of cooling a room by 20 F but incredibly, consumes half a million pounds of ice within two months.

It is widely recognized that the first ‘modern’ cooling apparatus appeared in the 1830’s and was designed and built by an American physician from Apalachicola in Florida; Dr. John Gorrie. Gorrie’s simple machine consisted of a basic fan which blew across a large block of ice and cooled the wards at the hospital he was working in at the time.

Then in 1881 as US President James Garfield lay on his deathbed, a team of naval engineers designed a method to ease Garfield’s discomfort. They constructed an apparatus that blew air through cloths soaked in water from melted ice. The device succeeded in lowering the room temperature by around 20 degrees but the consumption proved enormous–within eight weeks the process had devoured half a million pounds of ice.

Early 20th century air conditioning or “manufactured air” as it was then called, was seen as a novel industrial solution for steering humidity levels in textile mills with the goal of increasing productivity. But within a short time, further commercial applications were discovered. Food preservation, document protection and the cooling of beer and other beverages became commonplace and more and more cooling stations were built to provide controlled air to neighboring buildings.

Willis Carrier It was around this time that Willis Carrier appeared on the scene. Carrier, a mechanical engineer from Buffalo, New York, had a deep understanding of the relationship between dew points, humidity and temperature–an understanding we are told he gained from his experience waiting for a train on a foggy night. In 1902 he introduced a spray-based humidity and temperature control system which heralded the tenuous expansion of air conditioning into hospitals, offices, apartment buildings and hotels.

Known as the father of air conditioning, Carrier’s company became synonymous with air conditioning excellence. Carrier devised a method of utilizing chilled coils to cool air and reduce humidity down to an unheard of 55%. Known as his “Apparatus for Treating Air,” the device was able to adjust humidity levels to a fixed setting. This would be the forerunner of what we now know as the modern air conditioner, but it’s good to remember that not only were the early conditioner units extremely large and expensive–use of the toxic coolant ammonia also made them very dangerous!

Willis Carrier first appears on the air conditioning scene in 1902. He invents an apparatus for treating air for a publishing company in Brooklyn, New York. Carrier’s machine blows air across cold coils thus controlling both temperature and humidity of the air inside the building. His device soon attracts the attention of factory owners and industrialists across the country and the Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America is born.

The term ‘air conditioning’ is first coined in North Carolina in 1906. A textile mill engineer by the name of Stuart Cramer invents a ventilation system which produces a mixture of air and water vapor. The resulting increased humidity makes the yarn more pliant, easier to spin and less likely to break.

In 1902, Alfred Wolff, an engineer from Hoboken in New Jersey was assigned the task of fitting out the New York Stock Exchange with a central cooling and heating system. Wolff is remembered for the design improvements he introduced, adapting the existing systems prevalent in the textile mills for use in other buildings. His innovations led to  a revolution in the application of cooling technology. Many industries benefited; tobacco and pharmaceutical, as well as the meat and film industries, to name but a few.

In 1911 Willis Carrier presented his ‘Rational Psychometric Formula’ to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. To this day, the air conditioning industry still uses that same formula.

Air conditioning first received wide public attention at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair where it was presented to almost 20 million baffled yet fascinated visitors. The modern wonder known as manufactured air had arrived.

In 1914, the first domestic air conditioning unit is fitted into the Minneapolis mansion of rubber and leather tycoon Charles Gates. The unit is a monster: 20 feet long and over 7 feet high. But Gates never lives in the house and the monolith is never used.

Soon after their prestigious introduction to the public, the installation of air conditioners began to rapidly infiltrate everyday society. The first private residence to be fitted with the costly luxury was in Minneapolis in 1914 and was owned by Charles Gates, son of John Gates, a notorious but hugely successful gambler of the time.

The first real cool air experience for the average citizen came after 1917 when movie theaters became the next focus of the air conditioning industry. The New Empire Theater in Montgomery, Alabama is the first theater on record to receive a cooling system and in the same year the Central Park Theater in Chicago was specifically designed and built to utilize the new technology. Almost overnight, both venues became hugely popular and attendance numbers soared to unforeseen heights.

In 1922, two crucial breakthroughs in the development of air conditioners were achieved. Again it was Willis Carrier who led the way. First he substituted the toxic ammonia with the far safer dielene (dichloroethylene, or C2H2Cl2). Simultaneously, Carrier greatly reduced the size of the  units and at last the cooling systems began to become mainstream with systems being widely installed in office buildings, department stores, private apartments and even in railroad cars.

centrifugal coolersIn 1924, The Carrier Company installed a trio of centrifugal coolers in the J. L. Hudson Department Store in Detroit, Michigan. The pleasing effect on shoppers was duly noted and air conditioning quickly became an integral part of any serious retailer’s marketing strategy. From there it did not take long for serving politicians to get in on the act. Between 1928 and 1930 the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives were all equipped with cooling systems, as were many other government buildings across the country.

The invention of the ‘window-ledge air conditioner’ by J.Q. Sherman and H.H. Schultz in 1931 marks the true beginning of the phenomenal rise of residential cooling systems. The design proved extremely popular, but at prices starting at $10.000 (about $120.000 in today’s money), the units were at first exclusive to the very rich.

Packard is the first auto manufacturer to take the air conditioner on the road. Cooled automobiles appear in 1939 but the control mechanisms are still crude with the only access to the unit still under the hood. Dashboard controls come along a few years later.

Yet some setbacks were also to be had. The spread of commercial air conditioning was greatly hampered during The Great Depression, and when at the World Fair in 1939 Carrier showed off his futuristic igloo, its further development was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.

By 1942 the spread of air conditioners has gone viral and America builds its first power plant specifically to deal with the demand of summer peak usage.

During the war, many manufacturers converted their production to aid the military effort. Chillers were removed from department stores and re-installed in military plants and returned after the war. Thousands of walk-in air conditioners were manufactured for the US Navy to keep food and other perishables fresh on their ocean journeys. Bespoke portable air coolers were used for airplane maintenance in tropical climates. And yet again we see the name of Willis Carrier leading the way in the further development and functionality of air conditioning systems. Carrier was called upon by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to design a system that could reproduce the freezing conditions found at high altitude and thereby carry out crucial testing of airplanes. Many thought the task to be impossible. But once again carrier shone with his ingenuity and was rewarded with the highest honors the US Military could bestow on a commercial company–the Army and Navy E Award

With the end of World War II production returned to mainstream, commercial use and with the US economy about to boom, the future success of air conditioning was guaranteed. Americans in their thousands began to purchase home air conditioning units so that they could enjoy the benefits they had only experienced in larger buildings. Air conditioning became so popular so quickly that soon the demand exceeded the supply and by 1948, yearly production of the home cooling units had reached a staggering 74.000, almost three times that of just two years earlier. It would be another two years before US sales broke the one million barrier for the first time.

In the post war economic boom in the 1950’s, sales of residential air conditioners break the 1 million barrier for the first time.

For a long time, nothing really happens in the world of cooling units. And then in the 1970’s the introduction of home ventilation systems changes almost overnight the face of air conditioning forever. Specially designed units draw air from outside, waft it over cooling coils and blow it through the home.

By now the coolant of choice has become the R 12, aka Freon 12. But in 1994 Freon is recognized as a major factor in the depletion of ozone levels and is banned in many countries. Auto manufacturers are also hit by the new ecological attitudes and are ordered to phase out ozone-depleting coolants by 1996. Forced to comply with world wide public opinion, companies like Carrier and Honeywell then begin the development of more environmentally friendly coolants.

Today, Carrier’s legacy lives on. His spark of genius over a century ago has brought comfort to millions of people all over the world and increased global industrial productivity. Modern air conditioning is cost efficient and easy on the environment.

So when outside it’s sweltering hot and we’re sat inside in our wonderful humid and temperate buildings watching the sidewalk melt, let’s spare a thought for Willis Haviland Carrier’s really ‘cool’ idea.

Filed Under: Air Conditioning

Five Reasons Why May Is The Best Time to Buy Commercial Air Conditioning

May 13, 2016 by Webgator

“The cooler weather offers the best buying opportunity.”

Air ConditionerIf you’re looking for commercial air conditioning, the month of May is the absolute best time of year to search. Here are a couple reasons why May is the best time to buy.

#1. Less Stress For Commercial Air Conditioning In May

Most people – especially businesses– forget about their failing air conditioning unit as soon as the cooler weather arrives. That’s a mistake. Not only will prices be higher when the summer comes around again, but every man and his horse will be battling for to have a unit installed.
We find that engineers will be pushed to capacity working around the clock, and usually, the best contractors are already on jobs. This means either using less experienced engineers or having to have your staff swelter in the hot months.

#2. A Chance To Measure Your Options

As the weather cools, now is the time to plan for a more productive summer next year. Measure up your space, and review your current air conditioning system. Why isn’t it man enough for the job? It could be that it’s old, tired, and unable to cool like it used to.
Or maybe your cooling needs have changed. You might have more equipment giving out more heat, or you may employ more people in the same room. Also, your offices might have been redesigned, and the air con hasn’t kept pace.

#3. New 2016 Features

Technology is advancing, so is air conditioning. Consider WiFi controllers or perhaps you want a uniform atmosphere in the entire office. New systems are also more energy efficient and cost a lot less to run. Once you know what you want and why, then it will be time to call for expert help.

#4. Easier Access To Professionals

With less demand for their time and services, it will be easier to get an air con specialist to discuss your needs. Let the expert create the best system for you. With fewer buyers in the market, and you’ll be able to take advantage of the best providers.

Here’s a tip to make the most of your time with an air con expert: although you know what you want, prepare to ask the right questions and be flexible – there may be a great solution to your needs that you haven’t yet thought of and that might even be cheaper than your budget.

#5. Time To Do A Deal

If you’ve had a sweltering summer, for the best commercial air conditioning and great promotional offers, May is definitely the month to make a deal. For more information or to get a quick free quote, contact Brisbane Air today.

Filed Under: Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Tips

Be Smart with Ducted Air Conditioning in Brisbane and the New Mitsubishi WiFi Controllers

August 29, 2015 by Webgator

Brisbane Air is proud to announce the new Wi-Fi controllers. Created to suit busy ‘Brisbanite’ lifestyles, these Wi-fi controllers unlock the door to smarter cooling and heating.

With the new smart Mitsubishi Electric WiFi controllers, you can control your home and/ or commercial air conditioning on-the-go via an internet connection and your smart phone.

What this means is that the new Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control gives you the freedom to tailor your heating and cooling needs with the touch of a button from anywhere to save time, money and energy.

We suggest adding these controllers to your new ducted air conditioning systems and wall hung split system air conditioners for both residential systems and commercial systems for even higher levels of energy efficiency, as the Mitsubishi Electric WiFi controllers unlocks these extra control benefits, for additional control, wherever you are.

Why use Mitsubishi Electric WiFi controllers?

The WiFi controllers allow you to remotely manage each area where air conditioning and the wifi controller is installed. With advanced software features each room can be individually monitored and adjusted.

For better efficiency, your ducted air conditioning can be monitored and adjusted as maximum and minimum temperatures are reached – all determined by the built in software and sensors.

Not only is this function ideal for businesses and home residences, but especially for children’s rooms and every room in a building. Want the lounge cooler or your child’s room a little warmer? No worries. Want to make the warehouse a little colder? You can do that too. The controller features a full range of options, including auto, heat, dry, fan speeds and cool.

When you install a WiFi control adapter on each of your indoor units, you’ll find that the whole system becomes a seamless and integrated unit. Click here for an interactive demonstration.

Benefit from extra flexibility

Your air conditioning unit is working hard. Does it really need to be on now? You’re burning money in the home and office, in the past, there’d be nothing you could do. Until now…

With Mitsubishi WiFi controllers installed, remote adjustments are possible. Making rooms hot or cold in advance. No more waste. No more worry. No more worry about your stock perishing or after thoughts after leaving on a big trip.

The app tells you if your unit is on or off, wherever you are. This is particularly suitable for temperature sensitive situations such as a florist, pet store or any situation where the delicate range of temperatures need to be consistently monitored.

What’s next?

Start benefitting from ducted air conditioning and Mitsubishi Electric WiFi controllers now. It’s easy to connect to your home or office air conditioning, and have control at your fingertips.

Get in touch with Brisbane Air today, and find out how you can ensure your home is comfortable when you need it to be wherever you happen to be. As a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Dealer, we’re ready and qualified to help today.

Filed Under: Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Tips, Ducted Air Conditioners

Be Cool with School Air Conditioning

July 17, 2015 by Webgator

School Air ConditioningIf children complain about being unable to concentrate in class, one of the most likely causes is classroom temperature. Schools in which children regularly work in classroom temperatures of 28 degrees or higher may find themselves with lower than average examination results, and a problem with aggressive behaviour among their students!

For schools and colleges that want to up results and grades, and benefit from a happier learning environment, air conditioning commonly seen as a ‘must have’. However, despite these benefits, installation of air conditioning also raises questions about cost and architectural impact. The outcomes for schools that benefit from air conditioning surprises many ‘old school’ types (the ones who like to tell everyone that “In my day we weren’t spoiled with air conditioning. What are the kids of today complaining about?”).

Comprehension and concentration drops in the heat

Students that berate their teachers with complaints about the heat, hair plastered to their foreheads, and eyes dropping heavily, aren’t deliberately swinging the lead. Plenty of medical studies (and as reviewed by Professor Michael Nagel of the University of the Sunshine Coast) show that the brain begins to close down at 28 degrees.

By the time the temperature hits 30 degrees, the brain has begun to seek survival. Teachers asking their pupils to add two numbers together in such conditions are likely to be answered with blank faces and head scratching. Perhaps worse, high temperatures also affect the brain’s neurotransmitters – leading to disruptive behaviour which might otherwise be out-of-character.

Despite such medical evidence, Queensland has no upper temperature limit in its classrooms. However, this may be due to the perceived cost of installation of air conditioning: with no upper limit enforced, it is the responsibility of individual schools to foot the bill.

Cooling classes doesn’t have to be costly

The running cost of air conditioning in a school also surprises most.  Ducted air conditioners allow different classrooms to be cooled to different levels from a central control panel. Timers can be used to make sure separate zones are switched off entirely when empty (and turned on manually when in use if outside the usual timetable). This means running costs are way lower than many would expect: comfort is maintained in an energy saving environment. Always conscious of costs, many of Brisbane’s businesses have chosen ducted air conditioning because of these benefits.

Architectural anonymity of schools air conditioning

Many schools, especially those with older buildings, are reticent to invest in air conditioning because of the potential architectural impact. However, modern units can be easily concealed, and silent running units produce virtually no noise pollution. From the outside, school buildings will maintain their traditional lines. Inside, students will be able to work in comfort and silence. One of Brisbane Air’s recommended manufacturers, Mitsubishi, has had its air conditioning installed in schools such as Brisbane Girls Grammar for reasons of cost, comfort, and design.

Benefit from the advantages of air conditioning in your school

The needs of every school vary. With more than three decades serving the Brisbane community with its air conditioning needs, Brisbane Airs’ technical experts are perfectly positioned to advice your school or college as to its exact air conditioning needs.

We’ll work with you to meet your aims and within your budget. You’ll be left with a more harmonious, hardworking student base. Your truancy figures will fall, tested results improve, and papers will no longer have to be chased across a classroom when an unexpected gust of wind blows through an open window.

Contact Brisbane Air today for a no obligation discussion of your requirements.

Filed Under: Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Tips

How Much Does Ducted Air Conditioning Cost to Run?

May 1, 2015 by Webgator

ducted air condition

One of the questions our customers ask most often is “how much does ducted air conditioning cost to run?” Sometimes this is asked after the exact air conditioning components have been selected, when it is relatively easy to calculate running costs. Other times a customer will ask without knowing the make, model, size, and other specifics of their air conditioning needs. That’s a little like asking what it costs to run a new Toyota car: without knowing the size of engine, the driving conditions, and the cost of fuel there is no way to accurately assess running costs.

How to calculate ducted air conditioning running costs

The first thing to do when calculating the cost of running air conditioning is to select your air conditioning units. You’ll need to consider the space you need cooled (or heated) and then size your unit requirements from this. You should also consider the energy rating of different units: the higher the rating, the more energy efficient the unit is. With your units selected, you can now do some simple calculations to accurately estimate the running costs. Here’s how:

Step 1: From a recent electricity bill find the cost per kWh in cents.

Step 2: From the air conditioning manufacturer’s brochure, or the printed label on the side of your unit, find the electrical consumption (Total Input, kw) at its rated capacity.

Step 3: Multiply the cost per kWh by the unit’s electrical consumption at its full rated capacity.

Step 4: The answer is the cost per hour in cents.

Step 5: Calculate your daily cost to run ducted air conditioning by figuring out how long it will run and at what capacity. For example, if your electricity costs 20 cents per kWh and your unit has a Total Input of 3kw per KWh at full rated capacity, the cost per hour would be 60 cents p/h. If you intend to run the unit for 8 hours at 50% capacity, then the cost per hour would be:

20 x (3 x 50%) = 20 x 1.5 = 30 cents p/h

And the cost for 8 hours would be 30 x 8 = $2.40.

And that’s all there is to it! Don’t forget, though, that you might have different rates charged for your electricity at different times of the day. If this is the case, you will need to make more than one calculation.

When your ducted air conditioning is up and running, it will benefit from regular servicing to keep it in tip top condition – and so will your running costs.

 

Filed Under: Ducted Systems Air Conditioning

History of Air Conditioning

February 15, 2015 by Webgator

Air Conditioner HistoryThroughout history, mankind has made continuous attempts to adapt to the physical discomfort of living in hot climates. From taking a nap in the shade to avoid the noon day sun, to creating architecture specifically designed to utilize our planet’s natural ventilation streams, the history of the human race is liberally sprinkled with examples of our desire to keep cool. Yet it is only in the last 100 years have we succeeded in developing mechanical systems that enable us to reach beyond simply taking advantage of our geographical situation to control our surrounding temperatures.

Dr. John GorrieIt is widely recognized that the first ‘modern’ cooling apparatus appeared in the 1830’s and was designed and built by an American physician from Apalachicola in Florida; Dr. John Gorrie. Gorrie’s simple machine consisted of a basic fan which blew across a large block of ice and cooled the wards at the hospital he was working in at the time.

Then in 1881 as US President James Garfield lay on his deathbed, a team of naval engineers designed a method to ease Garfield’s discomfort. They constructed an apparatus that blew air through cloths soaked in water from melted ice. The device succeeded in lowering the room temperature by around 20 degrees but the consumption proved enormous–within eight weeks the process had devoured half a million pounds of ice.

Early 20th century air conditioning or “manufactured air” as it was then called, was seen as a novel industrial solution for steering humidity levels in textile mills with the goal of increasing productivity. But within a short time, further commercial applications were discovered. Food preservation, document protection and the cooling of beer and other beverages became commonplace and more and more cooling stations were built to provide controlled air to neighboring buildings.

Willis Carrier It was around this time that Willis Carrier appeared on the scene. Carrier, a mechanical engineer from Buffalo, New York, had a deep understanding of the relationship between dew points, humidity and temperature–an understanding we are told he gained from his experience waiting for a train on a foggy night. In 1902 he introduced a spray-based humidity and temperature control system which heralded the tenuous expansion of air conditioning into hospitals, offices, apartment buildings and hotels.

Known as the father of air conditioning, Carrier’s company became synonymous with air conditioning excellence. Carrier devised a method of utilizing chilled coils to cool air and reduce humidity down to an unheard of 55%. Known as his “Apparatus for Treating Air,” the device was able to adjust humidity levels to a fixed setting. This would be the forerunner of what we now know as the modern air conditioner, but it’s good to remember that not only were the early conditioner units extremely large and expensive–use of the toxic coolant ammonia also made them very dangerous!

In 1902, Alfred Wolff, an engineer from Hoboken in New Jersey was assigned the task of fitting out the New York Stock Exchange with a central cooling and heating system. Wolff is remembered for the design improvements he introduced, adapting the existing systems prevalent in the textile mills for use in other buildings. His innovations led to  a revolution in the application of cooling technology. Many industries benefited; tobacco and pharmaceutical, as well as the meat and film industries, to name but a few.

In 1911 Willis Carrier presented his ‘Rational Psychometric Formula’ to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. To this day, the air conditioning industry still uses that same formula.

Air conditioning first received wide public attention at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair where it was presented to almost 20 million baffled yet fascinated visitors. The modern wonder known as manufactured air had arrived.

Soon after their prestigious introduction to the public, the installation of air conditioners began to rapidly infiltrate everyday society. The first private residence to be fitted with the costly luxury was in Minneapolis in 1914 and was owned by Charles Gates, son of John Gates, a notorious but hugely successful gambler of the time.

The first real cool air experience for the average citizen came after 1917 when movie theaters became the next focus of the air conditioning industry. The New Empire Theater in Montgomery, Alabama is the first theater on record to receive a cooling system and in the same year the Central Park Theater in Chicago was specifically designed and built to utilize the new technology. Almost overnight, both venues became hugely popular and attendance numbers soared to unforeseen heights.

In 1922, two crucial breakthroughs in the development of air conditioners were achieved. Again it was Willis Carrier who led the way. First he substituted the toxic ammonia with the far safer dielene (dichloroethylene, or C2H2Cl2). Simultaneously, Carrier greatly reduced the size of the  units and at last the cooling systems began to become mainstream with systems being widely installed in office buildings, department stores, private apartments and even in railroad cars.

centrifugal coolersIn 1924, The Carrier Company installed a trio of centrifugal coolers in the J. L. Hudson Department Store in Detroit, Michigan. The pleasing effect on shoppers was duly noted and air conditioning quickly became an integral part of any serious retailer’s marketing strategy. From there it did not take long for serving politicians to get in on the act. Between 1928 and 1930 the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives were all equipped with cooling systems, as were many other government buildings across the country.

Yet some setbacks were also to be had. The spread of commercial air conditioning was greatly hampered during The Great Depression, and when at the World Fair in 1939 Carrier showed off his futuristic igloo, its further development was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.

During the war, many manufacturers converted their production to aid the military effort. Chillers were removed from department stores and re-installed in military plants and returned after the war. Thousands of walk-in air conditioners were manufactured for the US Navy to keep food and other perishables fresh on their ocean journeys. Bespoke portable air coolers were used for airplane maintenance in tropical climates. And yet again we see the name of Willis Carrier leading the way in the further development and functionality of air conditioning systems. Carrier was called upon by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to design a system that could reproduce the freezing conditions found at high altitude and thereby carry out crucial testing of airplanes. Many thought the task to be impossible. But once again carrier shone with his ingenuity and was rewarded with the highest honors the US Military could bestow on a commercial company–the Army and Navy E Award

With the end of World War II production returned to mainstream, commercial use and with the US economy about to boom, the future success of air conditioning was guaranteed. Americans in their thousands began to purchase home air conditioning units so that they could enjoy the benefits they had only experienced in larger buildings. Air conditioning became so popular so quickly that soon the demand exceeded the supply and by 1948, yearly production of the home cooling units had reached a staggering 74.000, almost three times that of just two years earlier. It would be another two years before US sales broke the one million barrier for the first time.

Filed Under: Air Conditioning

Why Choose a Ducted Air Conditioner For Your Brisbane Office?

December 5, 2014 by Brisbane Air

Poor Air Conditioned OfficeDuring the warm summer months, when humidity is at its highest and heat at its hottest, hot, stuffy offices lead to stressed employees. Office productivity can slide and tempers fray quickly. Open windows increase noise levels, invite insects to further increase discomfort, and reduce office security. Heat also plays havoc with office equipment: it’s not only people that work less efficiently. A ducted air conditioning Brisbane system is the air conditioner of choice for the modern office, helping to reduce or remove all the problems that Queensland’s hot summer causes.

Why ducted air conditioning is best for Brisbane offices

Split air conditioning systems work fantastically well in the home. They are compact, and can have wall-mounted units which look good outside. They can be used for heating and cooling, and work perfectly for single rooms. But for an office building, something with rather more punch is required. This is where ducted air conditioning proves invaluable in Brisbane.

A ducted air conditioner Brisbane is easily controlled to provide the optimum temperature and humidity. It is also probably the quietest of all air conditioning types. The system is controlled from a single device, enabling a constant temperature in each office within a building or across a large open office.

Benefit from a uniform environment

With all offices cooled, a ducted air conditioner provides a constant and consistent working environment. People moving from office to office will no longer go from hot to cold. Areas of work in an open office environment will all be equally cool. Spaces near a window will benefit from the same coolness as those on the other side of the office floor.

When office temperatures are correctly controlled, people work better. They become less stressed and produce more work of a higher standard; offices become more like the productive place they are designed to be and less like a gladiatorial battle ground.

Ducted air conditioners Brisbane are the ideal solution, no matter what size and style of office. They are designed for units to be positioned in ceiling recessed or under false floors. They work almost noiselessly and allow the maintenance of a constant environment. Your people will work better, feel more relaxed, and produce work of a higher quality.

Filed Under: Air Conditioning, Commercial Air Conditioning, Ducted Air Conditioners, Ducted Systems Air Conditioning, Residential Air Conditioning

A Brief Rundown Of Air Conditioning History

December 4, 2014 by Webgator

room-air-conditioner_17521_600x450While Willis Haviland Carrier is generally recognized as the ‘father’ of air conditioning, inventors have been fiddling around with the idea of cooling systems as far back as Benjamin Franklin.

It’s Franklin, and Cambridge professor John Hadley, who in 1758 make the discovery that liquids which evaporate faster than water, like alcohol or other volatile liquids, have the pleasing effect of lowering the temperature of an object far enough to freeze water.

Some sixty years later, English inventor Michael Faraday achieves the same result when he compresses and liquidizes ammonia.

The first ice-machine is developed by Dr. John Gorrie in Florida in the 1830’s. He uses compression to produce ice and then creates a system to blow air over the ice to cool the hospital where he works. Recognizing the potential of the device, Gorrie patents his invention in 1851 with ambitious plans to cool buildings all around the world. Unfortunately, his plans fail due to lack of financial backing.

It is the assassination attempt on President James Garfield in 1881 that leads to the creation of the first crude cooling unit. In an effort to keep their wounded President cool and comfortable, Naval Engineers create a box-shaped device filled with wet cloth and blow hot air over the top. This produces a flow of cold air closer to the ground. The device is capable of cooling a room by 20 F but incredibly, consumes half a million pounds of ice within two months.

Willis CarrierWillis Carrier first appears on the air conditioning scene in 1902. He invents an apparatus for treating air for a publishing company in Brooklyn, New York. Carrier’s machine blows air across cold coils thus controlling both temperature and humidity of the air inside the building. His device soon attracts the attention of factory owners and industrialists across the country and the Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America is born.

The term ‘air conditioning’ is first coined in North Carolina in 1906. A textile mill engineer by the name of Stuart Cramer invents a ventilation system which produces a mixture of air and water vapor. The resulting increased humidity makes the yarn more pliant, easier to spin and less likely to break.

In 1914, the first domestic air conditioning unit is fitted into the Minneapolis mansion of rubber and leather tycoon Charles Gates. The unit is a monster: 20 feet long and over 7 feet high. But Gates never lives in the house and the monolith is never used.

The invention of the ‘window-ledge air conditioner’ by J.Q. Sherman and H.H. Schultz in 1931 marks the true beginning of the phenomenal rise of residential cooling systems. The design proved extremely popular, but at prices starting at $10.000 (about $120.000 in today’s money), the units were at first exclusive to the very rich.

Packard is the first auto manufacturer to take the air conditioner on the road. Cooled automobiles appear in 1939 but the control mechanisms are still crude with the only access to the unit still under the hood. Dashboard controls come along a few years later.

By 1942 the spread of air conditioners has gone viral and America builds its first power plant specifically to deal with the demand of summer peak usage.

In the post war economic boom in the 1950’s, sales of residential air conditioners break the 1 million barrier for the first time.

For a long time, nothing really happens in the world of cooling units. And then in the 1970’s the introduction of home ventilation systems changes almost overnight the face of air conditioning forever. Specially designed units draw air from outside, waft it over cooling coils and blow it through the home.

By now the coolant of choice has become the R 12, aka Freon 12. But in 1994 Freon is recognized as a major factor in the depletion of ozone levels and is banned in many countries. Auto manufacturers are also hit by the new ecological attitudes and are ordered to phase out ozone-depleting coolants by 1996. Forced to comply with world wide public opinion, companies like Carrier and Honeywell then begin the development of more environmentally friendly coolants.

Today, Carrier’s legacy lives on. His spark of genius over a century ago has brought comfort to millions of people all over the world and increased global industrial productivity. Modern air conditioning is cost efficient and easy on the environment.

So when outside it’s sweltering hot and we’re sat inside in our wonderful humid and temperate buildings watching the sidewalk melt, let’s spare a thought for Willis Haviland Carrier’s really ‘cool’ idea.

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