Do we really need air conditioning? Is having your home cool when it is hot a need or a want?
It’s hard to believe that people once survived without air conditioning all the way up until Wills founded this modern home and commercial amenity back in 1902. In fact, Willis originally founded the air conditioner because of the need to control the humidity at the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company in New York. In the end, Willis engineered a machine that would not only control humidity, but that would also control temperature, regulate air circulation, provide for better ventilation, and would also help cleanse the air. A truly innovative machine that would improve the quality of life. However, is having an air conditioner necessary?
These days, there are many people that would be unable to survive in excessive heat and humidity. Not to mention, every home and commercial building across the Unites States and even the globe, is full of electronic appliances that generate a lot of heat.
We can survive without air conditioning, but many people’s daily routine would certainly be affected.
For example, let’s look at schools. Luckily, most of the school year is during the fall, winter, and spring seasons where the temperature isn’t as hot as it is in the summer. But, there are those days where the temperature is so high that it would be detrimental to both the health of the students, teachers, and other staff to spend the entire day in the building. Therefore, everyone is sent home and there is one more day added to the end of the year.
So, would it be beneficial to have air conditioning units in schools across America?
In an article that we read on Parents.com titled “Schools Need Air Conditioning!” the author, Gail O’Connor, mentioned how she cannot believe so many schools do not have air conditioning. She also went on to say that children have a hard time being productive when the building is too hot and even used her son’s spring orchestra concert as an example. She said that she was so distracted by the children on stage wiping their foreheads, blowing hair out of their eyes, and tugging at their clothes that it was hard to listen to the music. This is a prime example of why it is important for schools to have air conditioning. But, as O’Connor mentioned in the article, most schools simply do not have the budget to install air conditioning units. The children are left to sweat or have days added to the school year—that are usually made up during the summer!
So, to answer that question: Do we really need air conditioning? The answer is “yes” and “no.” Whether or not you need an air conditioning unit will primarily depend on what type of climate you live in. If you live in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania—two places that we at Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling serve, we would highly suggest you have an air conditioner. The temperature changes here in the Northern United States can be volatile, and people may find themselves in need of an AC unit besides just wanting one.