Ask anyone from any part of the world if he/she can survive the chill of the winter months without furnaces or fireplaces or if they can spend the scorching summer afternoons, without switching on the air conditions. If the answer is a big ‘No’, then we can easily say that having air conditions and furnaces in the room is indeed not a luxury - it is a necessity. In every part of the world, domestic air conditioning is a common feature, especially in the heat of the summer. The demand of the air conditions is especially high in areas where most of the people live in small high rise flats.
Toronto is located in the southern part and in close proximity to Lake Ontario. This makes the climate of Toronto is little bit moderate from the rest parts of Canada. Toronto enjoys a humid continental climate, which means hot and humid summers and chilly winters. Thus, it is understood that Toronto people need air conditioning to maintain the indoor air quality in summer and fireplaces and furnaces in winter to survive the cold.
In the cooler months, fireplaces are almost the central feature of every household. It is certainly a much needed part of the survival strategy in the extended winter. Still in the age of electric room heater, the traditional wood fireplace has an exceptional appeal with the sensuous direct heat and the flickers. Fireplaces have a remarkable place in the traditional culture of Toronto and also in places like Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Thornhill, and Brampton and other parts. There is no comfort that can be compared to a family conversation surrounding a fireplace in a winter evening.
Fireplaces were also much popularized in the past, when the then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "fireside chats", a weekly radio addresses became popular during the great depression. It was meant for the family gathering around the fireplace. Fireplace is obviously not just a structure occupying some places. The mantels are the places to be decorated. If these places are decorated properly, the fireplaces and the accessories add an aesthetic appeal to the interior of a household. The decoration often carries its own statement that adds a unique charm to the room.
One of the widely used fireplace accessory is the fireplace screen. These screens are used in all the Toronto households in winter to prevent the burning embers from spoiling the rugs or carpets or injuring someone around when it pops out. A clean and finely structured screen can change the complete ambience of the room. No matter you are using one or not, the screen is a must for fireplace. In order to maintain the new look of the screen it is important that the ashes and the smoke marks are removed from it regularly. Fireplace accessories are mainly made for the wood fireplaces including poker to move the logs, tongs to pick the burning logs, shovel and broom to clean the ashes and racks to hold the logs. There are some others like, grates, chimney caps, and fireplace candles. A fireplace blower is another important accessory for fireplace. It is necessary to increase the heat the fire produce and to spread it through the room. With the accessory, the heat does not go into the chimney or in the bricks only, but it spreads heat equally through out the room and gives warmth in the chilly night.
Fireplace accessories are available in several materials and numerous fashions. But the most fashionable and most popular are the ones that are made of cast iron. These are long lasting, and are available within an affordable price range. Some other materials are nickel, brass, chrome, and pewter. You can select anything that is best for your requirement.
In the homes of Toronto two types of air conditions are used mainly – window and split. Split ACs is comparatively new additions to the domestic households. But this kind of air conditioner is more expensive than the other types. Window air conditioners are based in a window as the heat enters the room and it cools the heat wave in the room. It can make the air cool and comfortable only in the room where it is located. More expensive and more powerful system can cool the room surrounding it. Spilt air conditioners are to be put on the walls of a room. It does not need any wall to be placed. Window models are common feature of old households.
The office buildings and some new households have central air conditioning system. Central air conditioning system cools the air of the whole area concerned though the actual cooling unit is located somewhere outside the construction. There is a thermostat to check and control the temperature in the house. In the older model the temperature is adjusted manually whereas in the latest models the temperature is programmed to change at different times of the day. It helps to save the electricity bill and also make the house comfortable with a balanced temperature between hot and cold. It keeps the house warm when the house is empty. Though this system is thought to consume more electricity among the three mentioned here, the central air conditioning system is more energy efficient than the other two.
One can find air conditioning in the car as well today. This keeps the interior of a car comfortable, especially when you are on a long drive. People often try to get the comforts with rolling down the glass. But it is not at as much comfortable as air condition. Often the wind outside is noisy that can spoil your concentration while you are driving. If you are driving through a colder zone, rolling down the window will not be a wise idea. The air condition inside can offer you much warmer surrounding than the chilly outside.
Sometimes the air condition may not work properly. At such times, it is better to go for the repairing work when the damage is low. If the problem becomes grave it means more hazards and more expensive repair and replacement at times.
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