Interested in becoming a chapter sponsor or would like to sponsor other Southern Piedmont Chapter events? Reach out to our chapter president, Erica Powell, and we will get you connected to the right chapter chair!

A [Very] Brief History of Heating and Air Conditioning in Charlotte

The history of heating and air conditioning in Charlotte, NC, reflects the broader evolution of climate control happening in the southeastern United States.

Early Heating Methods (1800s – Early 1900s)

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, homes and businesses in Charlotte relied on fireplaces, wood stoves, and later coal-burning furnaces for heating. Radiators and steam heating became more common in larger buildings and wealthier homes in the early 1900s. You see evidence of this sometimes when doing retrofit projects in buildings constructed in the decades after the turn-of-the [1800-1900] century.

Ideal Model No. 7 Residential Boiler 

The Rise of Air Conditioning (1920s – 1950s) 

Before air conditioning, people in Charlotte relied on natural ventilation, high ceilings, and shaded porches to stay cool. The introduction of mechanical air conditioning in the 1920s, first in movie theaters and commercial buildings, transformed indoor comfort. By the 1950s, central air conditioning became more accessible to homes, fueled by Charlotte's rapid post-WWII growth 

and suburban expansion. Those of us born in the 1950’s and 1960’s remember when stores had signs advertising that their business was “Air Conditioned!” as not all had that comfort at the time.

HVAC Innovation & Growth (1960s – 1990s)

By the 1960s, air conditioning was becoming a standard feature in new homes and offices. (The developer my father bought our house from must have missed that memo.) Advertisements such as the one below appeared in magazines of the period. Note the use of warm red colors outside, and cool blue colors inside. The demand for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems grew alongside Charlotte's economic boom, including the rise of banking and corporate headquarters. Heat pumps, which provide both heating and cooling, became popular in the region due to Charlotte’s moderate winters.

Modern HVAC & Energy Efficiency (2000s – Present)

Today, Charlotte continues to embrace HVAC advancements, including smart thermostats, high efficiency heat pumps to help achieve the goal of decarbonization, and environmentally friendly refrigerants such as R-410A, R-454B. Digital twins and the use of AI are just beginning to emerge as next-generation technologies that will assist owner and building operators, monitor building systems, be alerted to and anticipate failures, schedule maintenance, and identify costs and supply chains.

Charlotte’s HVAC history is closely tied to its growth and climate, making it a key industry in the region's infrastructure and economy. Determining the first mechanical HVAC contractor in Charlotte, North Carolina, is challenging due to limited historical records. 

However, one of the earliest known companies is Ross & Witmer, founded in 1945 by F.H. Ross, Sr., a Charlotte businessman, and C.N. Witmer, a Carrier Corporation engineer. They established one of the area's first heating and air conditioning companies with the goal of expertly installing high-quality products from leading manufacturers. Ross & Wimer was later acquired by Ralph W. Phillips (who worked for the founders) and has been family-operated for three generations. The current president is Clay Phillips.

Another early entrant in the Charlotte HVAC industry is Mechanical Contractors, LLC (MCI), which has been providing comprehensive building design and solutions since 1948. Their longstanding presence underscores their commitment to performance, reliability, and stability in the mechanical contracting field. MCI’s is an employee-owned company, and the current president and CEO (since 2020) is Bill Champion, who was the president of the Southern Piedmont Chapter in the ASHRAE year 2000-2001. Bill won the Rudy Ferguson Award his presidential year – the highest award offered in Region IV.

Both companies are long-time supporters of the Southern Piedmont chapter and continue their support today.

While these companies are among the earliest documented HVAC contractors in Charlotte, it's possible that smaller or less publicized firms operated in the area before or alongside them. However, specific information about such contractors is scarce in available public records.

As innovations in HVAC technologies continue to progress and evolve, look to the local HVAC businesses to offer the new technologies, and to the Southern Piedmont Chapter of ASHRAE to provide subject matter experts on these emerging technologies to inform and educate our members.

On a party line vote, the House and Senate Budget Committees have both passed out of committee different budget resolutions, allowing Republicans to move forward with the reconciliation process to pass their massive domestic policy bill with just a simple majority. These budget resolutions are simply a framework that sends instructions to the various House and Senate committees to come up with details.

Senate Republicans adopted a $340 billion budget framework that focuses on increased energy production, immigration enforcement and military spending. The framework would allow up to $175 billion to be spent on border security, including funds for mass deportation operations and building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, in addition to a $150 billion boost to the Pentagon and about $20 billion for the Coast Guard. Senate Republicans plan to fully pay for this with spending cuts and new revenues, including drawing new revenue from energy leases. Senate Republicans are taking a two-bill approach to reconciliation, with the first bill focused on energy, immigration, and defense spending. The second bill they would pursue later in the year would extend President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which Senate Republican leaders expect to be much more difficult given $4 trillion price tag.

House Republicans are pursuing a one bill strategy that includes border enforcement, expanding energy production and renewing the expiring 2017 Trump tax cuts. They passed a budget framework that calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, along with $300 billion for border and defense spending. The framework also calls for a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit and directs House committees to cut spending at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years. To pay for this bill, Republicans are considering rescinding funds from programs under the Inflation Reduction Act, ending clean energy tax credits, and cutting funds from social services programs such as Medicaid and SNAP.