Air conditioning is the process of altering the properties of air (primarily temperature and humidity) to more favourable conditions.

More generally, air conditioning can refer to any form of technological cooling, heating, ventilation, or disinfection that modifies the condition of air.[1] An air conditioner (often referred to as air con, AC or A/C, and not to be confused with the abbreviation for alternating current) is a major or home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to change the air temperature and humidity within an area (used for cooling and sometimes heating depending on the air properties at a given time). The cooling is typically done using a simple refrigeration cycle, but sometimes evaporation is used, commonly for comfort cooling in buildings and motor vehicles. In construction, a complete system of heating, ventilation and air conditioning is referred to as "HVAC".

It is worth pointing out that comfort, Singapore style, is not seen in egalitarian terms. AirConditioning is a selfish technology: one of its paradoxes is that its net effect is an increase in heat. As a prodigious consumer of energy- it accounts for one-third of Singapores electricity use- it contributes significantly to global warming. Cherian George Singapore The Air-Conditioned Nation Here is a dilemma for us in Singapore. Our dependency or air-conditioning is already enormous & apparently still growingIn 1988 less than a fifth of households had airconditioning. By 1997 more than half had air-cons & by 2003 the figure is more than 70% of households in Singapore. However, if that is any consolation, we still rank below Japan which has the highest air-con ownership in Asia. On the other hand in China, Vietnam, India & any other Asian countries it is still less than 1% of all households. So is the air-conditioner a luxury, an aspirational symbol or a necessity? When I was young air-conditioning was considered a luxury that few people enjoyed. Certainly, although I came from a relatively affluent background, I did not sleep, study or travel in air-conditioning. When we were hot we had a big glass of ice water-already a luxury- or used fans. Today, most of us are used to working, traveling, studying & playing in air-conditioning. Even some of our streets are now air-conditioned. Certainly, on hot muggy days I am inclined to agree with M.M. Lee Kuan Yew when he said that air-conditioning was the greatest discovery of the millennium. All of us have experienced the exquisite sensation of coolness

on entering an air-conditioned room or the greater productivity of working/studying in an airconditioned environment. But that was before global warming became the hot topic it is today. We know now that using more air-conditioning adds to the warming of the earth which will mean more hot days with more demand for air-conditioning.. So do we have to forgo the comfort of air-conditioning if we are to become carbon neutral? Or are those of us who cant give up the addiction to feel guilty about enjoying airconditioning? I feel that there is a lot we could do to reduce our dependency & still enjoy the benefits of cooler air. Here are some observations for your comments. -Did you know that a study done at NUS by Leow Kim Guan for his M.A. thesis showed that when subjects( all Singaporeans) were allowed to adjust the room temperature every 10 minutes their preferred temperature of optimum comfort was 25.4 degrees C? How many thermostats in Singapore are set at that temperature here? -Why do we continue to dress for colder climes-ties, jackets, suits, pashminas-when we would be much more comfortable & environmentally sustainable in tropical garb? Is it really comfort or unthinking bad habit? -My daughter could not bear the freezing temperatures in her lecture halls in JC despite a thick jacket. She said she couldnt think for shivering . She is now in Boston where she is well-known for her high level of tolerance for cold which everyone finds surprising for someone from the tropics. Perhaps she was conditioned by Singapore air-conditioning.