Air-Conditioning

An off-beat story in the New York Times — Singapore Cools Off, and All Must Pitch In: “Every day in Singapore is a dog day, with suffocating humidity and temperatures regularly reaching the 90’s. When asked to name the most important invention of the 20th century, Singapore’s first prime minister and elder statesman, Lee Kuan Yew, singled out the air-conditioner….Air-conditioners account for nearly 10 percent of the cost of a new building and roughly 60 percent of its monthly power bill, according to Yeo Choon Chong, a manager at Meinhardt.”