It was not that long ago that to have an air conditioning system in your home or in your office was considered to be a luxury more than anything else. Today air conditioning in offices and as an example on public transport is now regarded to be normal and considered to be a part of everyday life. But there is a downside as with anything and that is that due to low temperatures emitted and lack of or faulty maintenance can lead to people feeling unwell and also causing common illnesses in people and even in a worst case scenario, outbreaks of more serious illnesses such as Legionnaires disease.
Below we take a look at both the pluses and the minuses of air conditioning.
Plus Points
- Hot conditions can impact on mental and physical activities and this is one way in which having air conditioning can help
- Air conditioning can make it a more comfortable environment at work and at play
- During warmer days having air conditioning can improve working conditions and have a positive impact on employee performance.
- Having an environment that’s comfortable due to having air conditioning can increase both physical and intellectual
- Lower temperatures can help to reduce irritating insects and other pests coming into your home or office
- Having a lower temperature indoors means you are likely to sweat less which in turn means less chance of being dehydrated
- Having a clean air conditioning system can help with allergies such as hay fever by reducing the pollen in the air
- Having a well-maintained air-conditioning system can both renew and improve the air quality of your environment
Minus Points
- If there is a dramatic change in temperature and humidity this can have an effect on a person’s respiratory system
- Air conditioning can dry out the skin
- Air conditioning can be noisy and add to noise pollution
- Air conditioning circulation can help to transmit infectious respiratory diseases
- Things like airborne dust and even funguses can cause allergic reactions which can be circulated by an air conditioning system
- Having air conditioning has been associated with such things as causing throat irritations and even hoarseness
- Air conditioning can dry out the eyes and cause eye complaints like conjunctivitis and blepharitis, and for those who wear contact lenses it can also cause dryness and scratchiness
What You Should Do
- Rooms or places that use air conditioning should always be regularly ventilated
- You must have a professionally fitted installation and use a certified maintenance engineer for any work needed for individual and centralised units
- Any room should be kept at a temperature between 21º and 25º C.
- The humidity of the room should be between 60% and 70%.
Tip
When you do go into an air conditioned building or use air conditioned transport, take a jumper or something that can take off the chill, especially when its warm outside as on entering an air conditioned building from a warm environment can come as a bit of a shock to the system.
Did You Also Know…..
Air Conditioning Makes Hospitals A Healthier Place
If it was not for air conditioning, hospitals would be unhealthy places to work and to stay as they would have to rely on opening windows and doors to cool the building down as well as using fans that would let in and circulate unfiltered air.
Air Conditioning Makes It Safer to Transport Food
Due to the advancements in refrigerated food transport, you can enjoy most fruits and vegetables all year round rather than during a season. It also helps to reduce food waste and food spoiling after a time.
Air Conditioning Helped The Hollywood Boom!
Following the invention of air conditioning it made it more bearable for movie goers to go to the cinema during the sweltering summer months. As more and more cinemas introduced air conditioning it made for a boom period for Hollywood and the movie industry in general. It allowed for more money to be poured into technical advancements and helped create what we now know as Hollywood and the film industry today.
Air Conditioning Helps Protect Interiors
Having controlled temperatures and controlled humidity can help protect furnishings as well as works of art. This is why many museums and art galleries have controlled environments to help protect their priceless works of art.
Air Conditioning Can Save Lives
The Modern air conditioner has been proven to have a positive effect on people’s health. People who suffer from breathing problems such as asthma can benefit from an improvement in inside air quality, as an air conditioning system is able to remove allergens and other smaller particles from the air that circulates around a room. Also air conditioning units have had a huge impact on many modern medicines that we use today. As medicines are produced in temperature sensitive laboratories which require temperature controlled sensitive tools and equipment air conditioning is helping to find cures from everything from the everyday cold to even life threatening diseases.
The Air Conditioner Fact File
- Did you know that South Korea is the largest producer of air conditioning units in the modern world?
- Engineer Stuart Cramer was the first man to coin the phrase air conditioning way back in 1906
- When air conditioners first came around the output was measured by simply how much ice would be needed to achieve the same cooling power
- After World War Two air conditioners became something of a status symbol and over 1 million units were sold in 1953!
- 1972 was the year when air conditioning units became more affordable and more popular as more people began to use them.
- Having window shades or drawing the curtains during the summer months can help reduce your air conditioners output and save you money!
- The first air conditioner was built in 1913 for a Mr Charles Gates but unfortunately he died in an hunting accident before he could get to use it!
- The first car air conditioning unit was invented in 1939 by the Packard Motor Car Company!
