These Women Changed the HVAC Industry

Women in Heating and Cooling

Women comprise a small percentage of all heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. However, make no mistake; many of the field’s innovators were women. This Women’s History Month, readers can learn about influential women in the HVAC industry and women in the field today. 

Women in the HVAC Industry Today 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise only 2.3 percent of all heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. However, there’s currently a shortage of HVAC workers, so to help fill the workforce shortage, more women are needed in the industry than ever. 

Job opportunities in the HVAC field are at an all-time high growth rate, so more women are expected to enter the field over the next decade. There are also organizations like Women in HVACR that are helping women succeed in this male-dominated industry by offering education, mentorships, and networking events. 

Alice H. Parker 

Alice H. Parker was born in 1895 in New Jersey. Freezing winters in New Jersey inspired her most famous invention, a furnace powered by natural gas with air ducts. Her system was unique because it used natural gas as a fuel source at a time when most homes were heated with fireplaces fueled by coal or wood. 

She received a patent for her central heating system in 1919––a huge milestone for an African American woman at the time. Her design using natural gas for fuel and ducts that could heat different areas of a house has influenced modern heating systems used today.

Margaret Ingles 

Margaret Ingles was the first woman to get a degree in engineering at the University of Kentucky and only the second female engineering graduate in the United States. After schooling, she influenced the design of air conditioning systems while working for the Carrier-Lyle Corporation for more than 20 years. 

Throughout her career, she worked on and developed many things, including helping to perfect the sling psychrometer, a device used to read the relative humidity of the air. She also helped develop an effective temperature scale and developed a device that measures the amount of germ-laden dust in space. These innovations still influence modern air conditioning systems and indoor air quality. 

About Warhold Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning 

Warhold Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning are a family-owned and operated company serving Greensburg, PA, and the surrounding communities. They provide competitive prices, personalized options, and customer education. Call them today for air conditioning or heating services in Greensburg, PA.

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