Heat pump is a fascinating wonder
I had no idea that at the turn of the 20th century, basic HVAC was born. Of course, it was not like the residential HVAC or the commercial HVAC that we enjoy everyday now. But that was the beginning of the basic cooling process that our heat pump uses right now. More than a hundred and ten years ago, cooling was invented. It revolutionized so many things across our industrialized world. First, it was storing food which was indeed revolutionary. But by being able to move heat energy from one point to another to allow colder air to occupy that same space, HVAC was also born. First, there were commercial HVAC applications. I’m in my mid fifties and I can remember my dad telling me stories about air conditioning. He was a little kid when his mom and dad drove into the nearest city just to experience the commercial HVAC in a store. By the mid 50’s, residential HVAC was coming online and the heat pump era was born anew. These days, I’m still amazed at the combination of physics and engineering that allows me to enjoy air conditioning this Summer. I live in a region where the temperatures and the humidity skyrocket from June through September. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live here without the comfort of central air conditioning. Plus, when the weather gets colder, the heat pump can provide us all the heating we need. It simply reverses the refrigerant flow and brings heating energy from the air outside into the house. What’s even more incredible is that so many of us take our residential HVAC miracle for granted all the time.