Alice H. Parker: Inventor of Modern Heating Systems

Alice H. Parker
1895 – DOD unknown
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/parker-alice-h-1895/

Have you ever used central heating? Well you have Alice H. Parker to thank for reimagining and redesigning how we use heat in our homes.

It’s essential to know that Parker is originally from New Jersey and attended college in at Howard University, located in Washington, D.C.

Spending most of her life along the east coast of the United States, Parker was no stranger to harsh winters. Prior to Parker’s invention, heating was done primarily through using coal or wood. Additionally, this method of heating did not efficiently distribute heat flow throughout an entire home. This was not a sufficient defense against the cold winters of the east coast.

Parker redesigned a heating system that relied on gas, and it had individual airducts which allowed heat to flow throughout an entire home instead of just one central room. Her invention used independently controlled burner units that drew in cold air and conveyed the heat through a heat exchanger. This was the first design of it’s kind back in the 1920s.

An additional benefit of her design is this decreased the possibility of housefires due to using coal or wood fires in the home; as well as decreased the use of fuels that burn less efficiently than gas.

Parker received patent No. US132590A on December 23, 1919 for her heating furnance design.