Before Air Conditioning, Nobody Worked During The Summer

OK, so that headline’s a bit of an exaggeration. But there’s no question that air conditioning fundamentally changed the way we live and work. According to Stan Cox, especially the way we work.

Cox’s book, Losing Our Cool, was recently written up in the Washington Post‘s Wonkblog, in an article called “How air conditioning transformed the U.S. economy.” If this excerpt is to be believed, it’s really pretty amazing.

Before air-conditioning, American life followed seasonal cycles determined by weather. Workers’ productivity declined in direct proportion to the heat and humidity outside — and on the hottest days employees left work early and businesses shut their doors. Stores and theaters also closed down, unable to comfortably accommodate large groups of people in stifling interiors. Cities emptied in summers…. Houses and office buildings were designed to enhance natural cooling, and people spent summer days and evenings on porches or fire escapes.

Air conditioning has helped us survive the sweltering summers, so it’s no wonder A/C installations are taking off like a rocket in the U.S. The number of U.S. homes with central A/C grew 25 percent from 2001 through 2009. And with more of us working at home, A/C helps us set the right temperature for productivity even when we’re outside the office.

The trick is to stay comfortable, while only cooling the space we use. That way, we can save some of the money we’re spending on energy and put it toward other, cooler uses. Like a bowler hat and monocle. Or at least a decent front porch.

Image credit: simpleinsomnia/Flickr. CC license.