| By :
Adrianna Noton
Heating and air conditioning affect the quality of life in urban settings because human beings are extremely vulnerable in these places. Nature has evolved wonderful protection for animals and birds that have not been bettered by mankind . But in our own built environments we try to emulate the inside of ants' nests as well as we they can by regulating temperatures. Experts in the fields of thermodynamics and fluids mechanics have made great strides in developing technology that enables human brings to regulate the interior environments in which they live and work. Increasingly they are having to work with new parameters set by environmental concerns. Old timers in Middle eastern countries remember when most people were inactive in dark rooms during the day, waiting for the cool of evening before they could become active. Now they work in banks and shopping malls kept cool throughout days and nights. Being more vigorous they can be more effective, economically. In the desert towns and villages there have been big changes in the quality of life. Ancient villages that once clung to mountain sides and grew vegetables on terraces have been abandoned. The occupants have moved into towns in the valleys below where they can enjoy the benefits of electricity and air conditioning. Inside the houses people are changing rapidly as their living conditions alter. In simple terms a cooling system works when a gas is heated and compressed. As it loses heat to the outside environment and is liquefied, the liquid is returned to the interior where it evaporates, cooling the interior as it does so. The switches, fans and humidifiers that must all form part of this basic process become more and more refined as technology advances. When air is circulated through closed systems germs and even toxins can be distributed among those who share the air. In natural circumstances these germ would be dispersed by wind. Ventilation is important, as is the humidity in a closed space. When people have to share temperatures there are invariably those who whine about whether they are too hot or cold, and so disputes arise because people are in control of the environment to the extent that they agree what to do with the controls. A reverse valve enables the same equipment that cools a space to be used as a heating device. This is quite an economical idea but might not be adequate in very cold situations. Heating has been such a major concern in cold countries that technology is probably better developed in this regard than cooling systems. Being cold is probably a more urgent problem than being to warm. In recent times it has become apparent that global warming is having a large impact on earth. Heating and air conditioning may be affected by this since fewer homes might need heating. The demand for heat energy from oil and gas may be reduced as people will not need to heat their homes. Piping hot water through homes has been a popular method of heating for many years but the water does have to be heated, usually by oil or gas. Though there might well be a slight reduction in the requirements for heating energy the need for conservation of energy remains a major problem for the world as a whole.
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