[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]In Virginia, the weather is up and down and all around throughout the year. The heat is on during the summer months of June-September but it can stick around through October and start as early as May. Thankfully we have air conditioning. Over the course of the last 115 years since the development of AC, the industry has continued to grow. Here are some fun facts to get you more familiar with all that AC has given us-aside from the comfort of a cool blast on a hot summer day.

1. We re-purposed AC units
Willis Carrier designed the first air conditioning unit in 1902, but not for comfort…it’s purpose was to cool the room down in a publishing house to keep paper from expanding and contracting so that ink would dry faster.

2. Home Comfort
The first house to have air conditioning built into it was in 1913 in Minneapolis by Charles Gates, sadly he passed away before experiencing it.

3. Mobile Comfort
The first car with air conditioning was manufactured by Packard in 1939, however it was largely unpopular at first due to the cost.

4. Summer Blockbuster
Movie theaters were among the first businesses to use air conditioning, people would flock to the theater in the summer months just to cool off. Movie marketers picked up on this trend and would release big hits in the summer, coining the term “Summer Blockbuster”.

5. US as a Power Hog
The amount of energy the US uses on only air conditioning is equal to the amount of energy the continent of Africa uses as a whole.

6. School’s Out for Summer
Before air conditioning, schools would take a break in the summer so the teachers and students could avoid working in the heat. Thankfully this practice stuck around after the invention of the AC!

7. Heat Tolerance
Our bodies change to our surroundings, humans who grow accustomed to having a cool environment lose their natural heat tolerance. So those in New York…H.A.G.S.!

8. Advancement of Medicine
AC has brought the world of medicine a lot further, as some medications could only be developed in a cool environment.

9. Southern Living
The northeast used to be the economic powerhouse for growth, once AC became popular, states like Texas, Nevada, Florida, and Arizona became more populated and grew economically.

10. Open it Up!
Closing vents in unused rooms is not an energy saver, it actually makes your HVAC unit work harder.

11. Allergy Relief
Clean, filtered air coming from air conditioners relieves many people of spring allergies.

12. Updates
Most people spend nearly $2000 on energy bills. Over half of that goes to air conditioning. Updating your system with greener technology can save you energy and money.

Now that you know some of the facts, make sure you call Nelson’s Heating and Cooling to help you stay up-to-date on your system as the industry continues to grow![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]