History of the expansion of air conditioning in the United States

The reports of the International Energy Agency regularly study the growth of air conditioning in the world.

The report The Future of Cooling was summarized in an article published in the June issue of the IIR newsletter.

More recently, the British newspaper The Guardian also focused on the expansion of air conditioning, recalling that the IEA estimates that by 2050, the air conditioning-related electricity consumption should reach 13 % of all electricity consumed worldwide.

The full report of the IEA can be accessed via this link.

The Guardian article also reviews more than a century of air conditioning history in the United States. The first uses of this new technology date back to the early 20^th century. They were reserved for the industry. Willis Carrier is credited with the invention of air conditioning. As an engineer, in 1902, he was given the job of reducing moisture in a Brooklyn printing factory. The reduction of the temperature was therefore not the first driver of the invention of the air conditioning.

 

 

It was from the second half of the 20^th century that air conditioning became essential in American daily life, with its installation in most commercial buildings. In 1957, for the first time in the United States, the peak of electricity was reached in summer because of air conditioning, and not in winter, because of the heating.

The end of the 20^th century saw air conditioning developing around the world, especially in Asian countries such as India and China.

The Guardian article is available in English via this link.