It is difficult to understand how people living in hot and humid parts of the world survived before air conditioning—transpiration must have been secondary to breathing, even inside houses. Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about this anymore: air conditioning is systematically installed in homes where it is needed. Indeed construction is in many ways based on ventilation—“deep plan” buildings can only be ventilated properly by using air conditioning. This means that much of urban development is attributable to developments in the realm of air conditioning.
Humidity is one of the most important aspects of your home’s air—keeping it balanced will allow both your respiratory tract and couch to remain in prime condition. The evaporator coil in your air conditioning will condense water vapor as it processes your home’s air—it will then collect the water and drain it, allowing the air to remain within the recommended range of 40 to 60% relative humidity.
Refrigeration is the most common method with which air conditioning will keep your home’s air temperature at an acceptable level. By controlling pressure and applying a refrigerant, your air conditioning will effectively employ the second rule of thermodynamics to cool a room’s air temperature. Refrigerants which do not harm the environment in any way are in constant development—the next generation of air conditioning systems will be entirely harmless to our global ecosystem.
Understanding air conditioning can help you make the necessary decisions to keep your home’s air well regulated—both in terms of temperature and humidity. It is important to note that maintenance is a crucial aspect of owning any air conditioning system. If badly maintained, it can encourage the spread of disease and cause other problems.
Make sure to have your system inspected at least once a year to check for any inconsistencies—and enjoy the era of air-conditioning.