The Stunning World of Air Conditioners and Why You Must Have One at Home.

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An Air conditioner was once a luxury. These days, it’s standard equipment in many homes. A good air conditioner system will not only cool the home but help control humidity as well. Homeowners need to understand their air conditioner system components, features, and how t to get the best performance from them.

Air conditioners serve a multitude of purposes, making them an extremely important appliance in the home or workplace. And regular maintenance can make the system even more efficient and make it last longer, keeping you comfortable for less. The major purpose of an air conditioner is to control the temperature, humidity, filtration, and air movement of the indoor environment.

Many people who live in environments where the weather is unpleasantly warm understand the unparalleled comfort found in air conditioning. An air conditioner helps to remove heat from your home, leaving you cool and comfortable even on the hottest afternoons.

History of Air Conditioning.

Since prehistoric times, snow and ice were used for cooling. The business of harvesting ice during winter and storing for use in summer became popular towards the late 17th century. This practice was replaced by mechanical ice-making machines.

The basic concept behind air conditioning is said to have been applied in ancient Egypt, where reeds were hung in windows and were moistened with trickling water. The evaporation of water cooled the air blowing through the window. This process also made the air more humid, which can be beneficial in a desert climate.

The 2nd-century Chinese inventor Ding Huan of the Han Dynasty invented a rotary fan for air conditioning, with seven wheels 3 m (10 ft.) in diameter and manually powered by prisoners. During the subsequent Song Dynasty (960–1279), written sources mentioned the air conditioning rotary fan as even more widely used.

In the 17th century, the Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbeldemonstrated "Turning Summer into Winter" as an early form of modern air conditioning for James I of England by adding salt to the water. 

The creation of the modern electrical air conditioning unit and industry is credited to the American inventor Willis H. Carrier.

The first air conditioner, designed and built-in Buffalo, New York by Carrier, began working on 17 July 1902. Designed to improve manufacturing process control in a printing plant, Carrier's invention controlled not only temperature but also humidity. Carrier used his knowledge of the heating of objects with steam and reversed the process.

Over time, air conditioning came to be used to improve comfort in homes and automobiles as well. The first private home to have air conditioning was built in Minneapolis in 1914, owned by Charles Gates. In 1945, Robert Sherman of Lynn, Massachusetts invented a portable, in-window air conditioner that cooled, heated, humidified, dehumidified, and filtered the air.

Knowing how air conditioners came into place, let’s go a bit into how they work. Maybe understanding the working process of air conditioners would help people appreciate it more and improve maintenance too.

How an Air conditioner works.

Air conditioners work by moving the heat from inside your office or workplace, outside. then blows cool air back into the building. The way the machine cools the air is by blowing it over a set of cool pipes called an evaporator coil. It works on the same basis as a fridge or when water evaporates from the skin.

When the thermostat signals that the home warmer than the set temperature, the AC system turns on, and if you don't have a thermostat you could just turn on the AC yourself. Outside, the evaporate coil is filled with coolant or refrigerant, the compressor begins to compress the refrigerant into a high-pressure gas.

This is then pumped through another coil to the outside of the building, where it cools and returns to its liquid form. This outside coil has aptly named the condenser as a result. There is a pump, called the compressor, which moves the coolant between the two coils, as well as changing the pressure of the coolant to ensure it all evaporates and condenses in the appropriate coil.

Next, the cooled, compressed refrigerant, now a liquid, is pumped into the house via the copper tubing, arriving at the evaporator coil (also radiator-like). There, under less pressure, it vaporizes from liquid to gas once again. A natural property of this change is that the refrigerant absorbs heat rapidly from the air being blown across the evaporator by the blower. The cooled air is circulated through the home via the ducts.

The motor that runs the compressor uses all the energy needed to complete this and the system will usually give out three times the cooling energy that the compressor uses. This is due to changing the state of the coolant from liquid to gas, allowing much more energy to be moved than the compressor uses.

At the same time, humidity in the air condenses on the cold evaporator surface into liquid water, eventually dripping into a drain pan and down a drain. This way, the air is simultaneously cooled and dried, making the home more comfortable for the occupants. The refrigerant gas then heads back outside to the compressor, where the cycle starts over again.

Some air conditioning systems have the option to reverse the refrigeration cycle and act as heat pumps, therefore producing heating instead of cooling in the indoor environment. They are also commonly referred to as "reverse cycle air conditioner".

When the heat pump is in heating mode, the indoor evaporator coil switches roles and becomes the condenser coil, producing heat. The outdoor condenser unit also switches roles to serve as the evaporator and discharges cold air (colder than the ambient outdoor air).

Function and Importance of an Air conditioner.

For most people, the most important function of an air conditioner is its cooling power. However, cooling is in reality just one of the 3 vital functions of an AC system. Here is a brief overview of these three functions.

• Cooling.
• Dehumidification.
• Ventilation.

We all know that an Air conditioner is meant to cool an environment. You might be wondering, 'what else does the air conditioner do if not cooling?'. Well, the air conditioner does a lot more and in this post, you will be learning about the other vital functions of the air conditioner.

Dehumidification.

An air conditioner will help to reduce the absolute humidity of the air processed by the system. Since humans perspire to provide natural cooling by the evaporation of perspiration from the skin, reducing relative humidity can promote occupant comfort.

Most modern air-conditioning systems feature a dehumidification cycle during which the compressor runs while the fan is slowed as much as possible to reduce the evaporator temperature and therefore condense more water.

This dehumidifying action is the reason that AC units must have drains to remove the water that they condense out of the air.

Ventilation.

An air conditioner is important for ventilation. Whether you have central air or a window or wall unit, your air conditioner will be helping to circulate air within your home to keep spaces from feeling stuffy. You can even run your air conditioner on fan mode instead of cool mode if indoor temperatures are comfortable and you just want a bit of fresh air moving through your home.

By running the air conditioner on fan mode instead of opening a window, you get the benefit of having the air conditioner unit’s filter catch any outdoor allergens like pollen that may be trying to sneak in. This way, you ensure that you and your family members get the best quality of air.

The importance of an Air conditioner in your home or office can never be overemphasized. Most people use air conditioners to stay more comfortable in their homes or offices during hot and humid summer weather. Many recent studies proved that an overheated workplace could severely affect productivity.

In most cases, employees waste a minimum of one hour of their working time due to heat. The number can go higher in some cases. Having an air conditioning system in your office can reduce the wastage of time, and that is a big reason to have it. Not only will your employees feel good, but your clients will as well.

You can have your clients or customers come to your office without any hesitation. This increases the chances of your business growth because many times customers want to visit your office before placing an order to you. With a comfortable office, you can make a better impression, and have better business growth as well.

Under extreme conditions, air conditioners may keep the elderly and other vulnerable people safer from heat-induced health problems. Air conditioners are also used in many commercial settings not only for increased comfort but for decreasing heat stress on delicate machineries such as computers and reducing food spoilage in grocery stores and restaurants.

Air conditioners have been known to significantly improve indoor air quality and create a much healthier atmosphere. This is because they are capable of flittering out pollen, dust, and other allergens present in the environment. By reducing humidity, air conditioners can check the growth of mildew and mold.

Like I said earlier, the importance and benefits of having an air conditioner can never be overemphasized. 

To learn more about these benefits, check our article on"Types of air conditioners".

Features of a good Air conditioner.

With so much new cooling technology available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When shopping for an air conditioner, it is good to keep in mind the extra features that are typically available and how those would benefit you. Additional features are intended to simplify the operation of the unit, and in some cases, they can boost the overall efficiency.

Go to Energy efficiency always.

You will also want your AC system to run as efficiently as possible. Cooling your home can cost quite a bit, so having an energy-efficient system means you’ll spend less on your energy bills.

Energy-efficient cooling technology has advanced significantly over the past decade, and many of the air conditioners available today use substantially less energy than older systems. You will also extend the life of your AC system by not overtaxing it to get your desired indoor temperature.

Anti-Bacterial Filter and Auto clean function.

This feature helps to eliminate tiny harmful substances and microorganisms, such as pollen, dust mites, bacteria, and pet dander. Part of your air conditioner system’s job is to filter your air. Whether you are prone to getting bad allergies during pollen season or not, you don’t want to breathe dirty air while at home.

Adding on this air quality component like an air cleaner may be worth the peace of mind knowing that your air is clean and your home is healthy. The Auto-clean Function will help to prevent the growth of harmful micro-organisms by keeping moisture away.

Silent operation.

Nobody wants to hear a loud air conditioning unit with a rattling fan. A quiet air conditioning system is an important feature and it’s one of the keys to enjoying your new system. Keep in mind that if you upgrade to a new unit, it will not only be quiet, but it will be more energy-efficient and generate less noise than an old, bulky system.

There are so many other amazing features of an air conditioner, but I would stop here for now. More on air conditioner features would be mentioned in another post. I am sure that with all you have learned in this post you are now ready to get your air conditioner. There's no need to be bothered about the price, air conditioners are now very much affordable today.

The price range of an air conditioner starts from N77,000 for window unit and N98,000 for a split unit air conditioner. And with proper maintenance, you can be sure of using your air conditioner for a very long time. 

There are so many air conditioner brands out there, check out our article on the 'Top air conditioner brands'.

For your best quality Air conditioners at pocket-friendly prices, visit Zit Electronic Online Store and enjoy great value for your money.