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Is it really cold in your office during the summer? We explain why, and why you're probably better off.
(lara604/flickr)
While summer temperatures continue to blister outside, most
office buildings are kept at a too-cool temperature, causing unnecessary
spending and making office workers reach for sweaters and hot coffee in
July. Shaunacy Ferro, urban design reporter for Fast Company, explains the most common problems that lead to chilly office buildings and what can be done to temper office temperatures.
We all have to switch to stupid fluorescent bulbs to "save energy" but nobody in the government is mentioning how much more energy we could save by turning down or turning off the A/Cs in office buildings, department stores, restaurants etc. It's unhealthy, it's not good for the planet, and it is a huge waste of money.
It is sad that women can't wear summer dresses in the summer.
It's funny how we never read stories about such businesses -- or about offices that blast the heat in the winter. When people are cold, it's considered an emergency -- there's even a city hotline they can call. But if you're uncomfortably warm, no matter what the season, you're expected to tough it out.
I keep a small fan on my desk at work and I run it as much during the winter as during the summer.
I'll manage though, thank you :-).
and the SFX were excellent!
I wonder if this is related to "warm" slippage. More & more in the last several years, weather forecasts are calling temp's. in the 80s--even the upper 80s--"warm." 80+ degrees is hot, not warm! One time a WNYC announcer was reading the forecast & (reading the supplied copy, I assume) called a temp. over 90 degrees "warm"! He stopped & said, "Warm? That's *hot*!" I haven't heard the 90s called hot on WNYC since...not yet, anyway.
I'm grateful for air conditioning (seriously, its the best invention in the world,) but it's a bit like the arctic in here and unnecessary.
Up arrow labeled: Warmer
Down arrow labeled: Cooler
Women's thermostat:
Up arrow labeled: Too Warm
Down arrow labeled: Too Cold
People spend so much time in A/C, I believe their bodies lose the ability to cool themselves naturally. I don't rely upon much A/C at home--just a touch of it to take the humidity out of the air when it's 90 degrees plus--then I supplement air circulation with fans.
We're building these closed environments that are, supposedly, "advanced," aesthetically, but we're failing at making the environments healthy for us. Germs are trapped within them, and whole teams of people are walking about, sick, recirculating illness.
Don't get me started on soulless, florescent lighting...
On the other hand, as much as I hate the extreme A/C on the trains, I do understand that heat and humidity on a crowded train can lead to vomiting, and, all things considered, I'd rather have the cold than the stink. But I still have my trusty hoodie on.
Right now, however, I am blessed with an office of my own and my own personal A/C, and I really only feel the need to use it when the humidity goes up.
I didn't wait all year for summer in order to need to wear a sweater all the time. Who wants to drink all of these special frozen tropical "summer drinks" when it's 55 degrees in a bar?
What ever happened to screen doors?