We enjoy the luxury of modern heating and cooling everyday, but how often do you stop and think where it came from?
As cosy as our modern heating systems make our homes, their origins can be traced back as far as the Ancient Greek and Roman era.
The history of heating and cooling is really quite fascinating. We begin in Ancient Rome an discuss the newest air conditioning system of today.
Ancient Rome and the hypocaust
The Ancient Romans developed the first system of central indoor heating.
The system was basically a room beneath the floor of a building or public bath that created and stored heat, allowing the floors and even walls to heat up.
Sounds a lot like hydronic heating, doesn’t it?
The temple of Ephesus had an intricate hypocaust system and is generally accepted to be the first building to use the system. The hypocausts greatly improved the living conditions and hygiene of the Romans and remains of them can still be found across Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.
The beginnings of heating and cooling – a brief timeline
The HVAC systems we use today are what they are because of the genius minds of inventors and scientists across the world.
But these solutions didn’t just happen overnight. The invention of modern heating and cooling dates back to as early as 1758…
1758: Ben Franklin and professor John Hadley discovered that the evaporation of liquids other than water could cool an object enough to freeze water.
1881: In 1881, US President Garfield was injured when he was shot. To keep him comfortable, engineers placed him in a cooling unit filled with water-soaked cloths, where a fan would blow hot air up while forcing cooler air down.
1917: The first theatre to use air conditioning was the New Empire Theatre in Montgomery, Alabama.
Modern heating and cooling systems
Today we are lucky to have so many heating and cooling systems available to us that are effective, efficient, and affordable. A few of our favourites are below.
Smart Zoning
Smart phones, smart cars, it’s pretty clear that our society is getting a lot smarter!
Isn’t that exciting?
Another Smart feature we can enjoy is Smart Zoning, where you heat and cool different areas (zones) of you house based on how you use the space.
This way you’re not heating those rooms or pockets of space you don’t use, saving money and energy along the way.
The precision and control achieved with Smart Zoning makes it a popular choice, particularly in new builds.
Hydronic heating
Another ultra-modern heating solution is hydronic or underfloor heating.
Ideal especially for bathrooms, hydronic heating works on the principle of even and comfortable floor heating, emitting a pleasant temperature and removing that crisp chill of tiles under your feet.
Hydronic heating is a great solution if you’re in the process of building your home but can also be installed through renovations.
Hydronic heating can be used as either a primary or secondary source of heating in the home. Best of all – it’s completely silent! Find out more about hydronic heating here.
Boilers, radiators and towel rails
The perfect additions to the home that is already built, the Baxi Boiler is an incredible system that adds much needed heat into your home in a very effective way. We also know our stuff when it comes to Radiators. These tools that were first developed in the 1700s have evolved a long way to what they are now.
And how about heating for your bathroom? We all know how cold it can get in there sometimes, especially early in the morning.
Did you know that the simple installation of a towel rack will add degrees to your bathroom all day long? How crazy is that? No energy or water bills and the installation is so simple we’re sure you might even be able to manage this one yourself.
Contact Coolpro today
Coolpro works with builders, architects, and all other trades involved in new builds and renovations.
Through seamless strategising, we’re your heating and cooling contractor, enabling your project to be equipped with the most effective and efficient climate control solution.
From new home construction to apartment builds, trades across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula choose Coolpro to deliver faultless heating and cooling strategies. We can even join a project late! Contact us today and send us your plans for review! Alternatively, call us on 0410 496 832.
