An Ode to Willis Carrier

We’ve all been there - the unrelenting heat and stifling humidity outside are all but unbearable, and you can’t believe you’re actually praying for wintry weather. Another scorcher, and you’re beginning to question the decision to go outside at all today. Just when it seems like you can’t bear to sweat even an ounce more, you arrive at your destination, and just in the knick of time. Once inside, no words can describe your feeling of comfort and relief, so instead you release a heavy, happy sigh. Who, you wonder, do you have to thank for this gloriously cold climate control?

Air conditioning has a rich history as well as rich rewards, with the earliest indoor cooling methods dating back as far as ancient Egypt. During the long, hot days living in the desert, the Egyptians would hang damp mats and cloths from their windows and doorways, and the resulting evaporative cooling effect would lower the ambient temperatures of their desert homes.

Fast forward several centuries, and you can see that our modern AC systems have come a long way since then. When it comes to luxurious air conditioning as we know it, we owe it all to a man named Willis Carrier.

Born in upstate New York to parents Duane and Elizabeth in 1876, Willis Carrier was cool from the start. During his career as an engineer, Carrier took this ancient principle of evaporative cooling and relative humidity to another level, ultimately founding what would become known as the law of constant dew-point depression. His founding principles of Psychometrics and relative humidity are still central to the field of air conditioning today.

While the Great Depression and subsequent World Wars slowed the development of widespread use of this new air conditioning technology, it did not deter Carrier and his colleagues. As Chairman of the Board of the Carrier Corporation, Willis Carrier persevered in order to put the “C” in HVAC.

After World War II came to a close, the widespread commercial and residential applications of Carrier cooling systems flourished along with the rest of the 1950s economy, and the brand carrying his name still cools us even today.

Though they were inspired by Carrier’s revolutionary patented air conditioning design of 1906, modern AC systems boat vast improvements on the original. For starters, air conditioners are now much smaller, sleeker, and quieter than they once were. Today’s AC units are also quite a bit safer than their predecessors; rather than using toxic ammonia, highly efficient modern air conditioners use environmentally friendly R-410A refrigerant.

The next time you’re enjoying the cool atmosphere inside an air conditioned room or building, you’ll know who to thank. Although, if your AC unit is one of the original Carrier models, you might want to consider an upgrade!