(no subject)

[sessifet]

Some bugger's turned on the airconditioning. I am right underneath the vent.

Bits of me have turned blue and my leg and hip are complaining. I can go home soon, though.

Comments

[cat63.livejournal.com]

Rob has air-conditioning like that in his office. He needs a fleece even when it's warm outside (which , OK, isn't that often, but still).

I think it's disgraceful, wasting energy like that, besides making people cold.

[swaldman.livejournal.com]

ah, air conditioning. Source of many a rant.

Outside of skyscrapers, etc., it shouldn't be necessary very much in the UK... except that people will not adapt to the temperature. I tried wearing shorts to work last year, when it was 32C in the office, and I was told that it was "totally inappropriate".

Thus, instead, we have to waste energy on air conditioning.
This inevitably leads to office politics, because some people like it warmer than others.
Personally I am a "warm" person; my ideal working temperature is somewhere around 18C, and above about 23C I feel sleepy and my productivity nosedives. Sadly 23-25C is often considered the "norm" for British offices. In my current place of work it is entirely normal for me to be sweating in short sleeves with the air conditioning on, while the secretary behind me is wearing a coat and has a fan heater running under her desk.

Solutions? Well, I say cool it to what is comfortable for the "warm" people, since the others can always put more clothes on. But I'm biased there, and the naturally "cold" people hate having to work in two jumpers[1].
Otherwise, design your air conditioning well so that it does not blow cold air directly onto people. I realise that this can be difficult for retrofitted systems, but in order to keep a room at a comfortable temperature the air leaving the magic box in the ceiling may be considerably colder, and it ain't nice to have it down the back of your neck.

[1] A few people are actually like that, and will be shivering in multiple layers at 22C. These people I have sympathy for, as they suffer from cold as I do from heat. Many more simply aren't prepared to wear anything more than their sleeveless, low-necked strappy top, and expect technology to come to the rescue of their fashion sense. These people piss me off. In a return to my initial point in this post, we as a country could save an awful lot of energy if people would simply wear a jumper...

[cat63.livejournal.com]

I tried wearing shorts to work last year, when it was 32C in the office, and I was told that it was "totally inappropriate".

I suppose they would have complained if you'd passed out from heatstroke as well. Idiots.

Solutions? Well, I say cool it to what is comfortable for the "warm" people, since the others can always put more clothes on.

Indeed. With modern fabrics it needn't be bulky, either.

we as a country could save an awful lot of energy if people would simply wear a jumper...

Completely agreed. We tend to have the heating here set to about 18 Centigrade and put more/warmer jumpers on if we feel cold.

[klonecaid.livejournal.com]

with the windows wide open (which is Banned under H&S) it tops 40C in my office in summer with the aircon off. we need it...

[bunnyk.livejournal.com]

Our windows aren't openable. Pretty good, considering the whole building's made from glass :-D

[troo.livejournal.com]

I go to the office with a short shirt and a shawl - when I can get away with it I turn off the air conditioning... when I can't I wear the shawl (which seems to be far too often)