Women's Contributions to the Heating and Cooling Industry
Women's History Month is a time set aside to celebrate the accomplishments of women, especially in fields where the odds are stacked against them. This can encourage younger women because it gives them role models to look up to and goals to set that they might not have ever considered. One place where opportunities abound is in the field of heating and cooling. Women's absence in the field is discouraging, considering the female trailblazers that have led the way.
In honor of Women's History Month, local HVAC contractors have some history to offer. With these facts about female trailblazers in the heating and cooling industry, these professionals hope to encourage curious women to explore their opportunities in this important industry.
Women in Today's Heating and Air Conditioning Workforce
It's no secret that all of the trades are heavily male-dominated industries. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, just 1.4% of a woman's heating and cooling jobs in the field are held. That makes them an extreme rarity despite the accomplishments of the female engineers and inventors that paved the way.
Although women are in the extreme minority, that doesn't mean the HVAC field shouldn't be considered by any woman looking for a good career. The need for heating and air conditioning technicians is expected to grow faster than other jobs due to the retirement of older technicians.
HVAC repair and maintenance is one of the few fields that guarantees paid training and offers incentives to women who want to pursue this as their career. Most jobs in the field are high-paying with opportunities for promotion, up to owning their own business. Who wouldn't want those kinds of opportunities?
Trailblazer Alice Parker 
Sometimes all it takes for inspiration to strike is for someone to get fed up with something. That was the case that Alice Parker found herself in. Growing up in New Jersey, she knew how uncomfortable and dangerous keeping a fire burning through the winter could be. Parker, a graduate of Howard University, got to work on a design for a furnace that utilized features that are still present in today's heating systems.
Her system allowed for zone control of the home by using dampers and ductwork, an idea that one hadn't previously implemented. For her work, she received a patent in 1919. Although her design was never specifically used in production, it still influences furnace design today.
Inventor and Engineer Margaret Ingels
In the early 1900s, the race was on to master climate control. The Carrier Corporation was a team of engineers that were on the cutting edge of temperature and humidity control in industrial processes and comfort. One year after being the first female graduate of the University of Kentucky Engineering School in 1916, Margaret Ingels started working at the forefront of air conditioning technology.
She worked with them until her retirement and studied humidity and dust content in the air during her tenure. Her efforts led her to develop a "sling psychrometer" tool that is still used to measure humidity. She also published 45 technical papers and gave over 200 speeches.
About Boutwell's Air Masters
Looking for a heating and cooling contractor that treats every customer like the only one? Boutwell's Air Masters is a highly-rated, local HVAC contractor. Call today for fast and personalized HVAC service in Pensacola, FL.
