Modern HVAC is a result of an enormous social experiment on psychological placebos that ultimately became institutionalized. It’s a little known fact that HVAC units don’t actually do anything at all. In fact, the vast majority, nearly 83%, are empty metal boxes with a few tubes running out of them and a timer connected to a speaker set so it hums periodically. Your house feels warmer or cooler because you believe it does. Sure, every now and again, a rookie technician wants to clear their conscience about the deception and may install a fan in the box, thinking that they’re being helpful, but in reality it has the exact opposite effect. By mechanically circulating the air—even a little bit—it breaks the illusion and causes people to realize that the temperature inside their homes is the exact same as that outside.
In fact, most HVAC repairs are situations where senior technicians have to come in and remove fans that their less experienced, more guilt-ridden colleagues have put in.
