Washington DC Metro | Heating – Plumbing – Electrical – Air Conditioning – Bath Remodeling

With HVAC, air conditioning is the newest component of the ventilation system that is used in most homes, not only in the Washington DC area but throughout the country. Before the 1950s there was generally only HV in homes. This is because air conditioning was still very expensive due to the toxic chemicals that were used to create the cooling effect, and the dangers they created if a leak occurred.

In 1928, DuPont developed Freon for use in air conditioners and this soon became the standard for the industry. The first ones made use of electrical driven pumps with this new refrigerant and this basic system is still employed today.

The main reason these types of systems are used is to provide a comfort level for the environment on the inside of structures that is suitable for human occupation. This is independent of the weather conditions on the exterior of the dwelling.

Today, there are different types of mechanisms used to provide this comfortable climate indoors. There is the traditional system with a pump, evaporator, and condenser units. At present, there are also two types of heat pumps that can be used that are more energy efficient. For some applications, the chilled water system is used. But these are generally limited to older, larger buildings and some military application in the navy on board ships.

The most efficient is the geothermal heat pump. This makes use of the cooler temperatures underground to transfer the heat out of the building. This takes less energy than the conventional AC unit and the regular heat pump.

In the modern HVAC, air conditioning is a vital component that reduces the moisture level during the hot moist months of summer that also helps to control the molds and fungi that can cause allergies.