Carrier celebrates over a century of modern air conditioning

More than a century ago, Willis Carrier came up with one cool invention: modern air conditioning.

Originally developed to solve humidity problems plaguing a printing press in Brooklyn, New York, Carrier’s innovation has gone on to enable entire industries, power new possibilities, and impact lives in all corners of the world.

Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable, and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.

Willis Carrier started the engine that will drive the world’s first modern air conditioning system, installed in the summer of 1902 at the Sackett & Wilhelms printing plant in Brooklyn, New York

Over the past 120 years, modern air conditioning – and the company born out of it – has fundamentally changed the ways people live, work, learn, and play.

It has kept travellers cool and comfortable on trains and ships, fueled the skyward expansion of cities around the world, helped preserve history, and enabled the start of the digital age.

Air conditioning has facilitated the rise of the modern indoor environment: one that improves the health, productivity, and comfort of the people inside.

“At Carrier, we put people and planet first by developing new technology that improves health and safety and enhances wellness, while also reducing emissions and preserving our planet,” said Le Viet Hung, managing director of Commercial HVAC at Carrier Vietnam. “We’ve been at the forefront of innovation since 1902 and are ready for the next 120 years of providing sustainable solutions.”

Carrier’s forward-thinking solutions of today build on the ingenuity of Willis Carrier’s invention. It continues to innovate to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges, including climate change and public health.

As part of its 2030 environment, social, and governance goals, Carrier is targeting carbon neutrality across its operations and aiming to reduce our customers’ carbon footprint by more than one gigaton.

As COVID-19 shined a light on the criticality of public health, Carrier also launched the Healthy Buildings Programme to provide healthier and safer indoor environments.

Through products such as Abound suite of connected solutions, its goal is to make indoor air "visible" – so good air quality becomes as important and expected as safe drinking water.

Carrier invests in important research including the COGfx Study series, led by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, that demonstrated better thinking and better health can be found inside healthier buildings with enhanced ventilation.