Support employee productivity with a comfortable workplace temperature this winter

By Carl Webb, Sales Director at Andrews Sykes

A recent survey conducted on behalf of Andrews Air Conditioning Hire revealed that four in five people are discontent with their office temperature. In winter, 52% of offices are considered too cold and in order to keep warm, 56% of staff put on extra clothing, whilst 8.3% reported bringing in a hot water bottle.

The Approved Code of Practice suggests that the minimum temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16°C, but there is some debate over the optimum temperature for worker productivity.

An ideal temperature

Research shows that up to 8.5 minutes per day are spent adjusting to the workplace temperature. Unsurprisingly, if staff feel uncomfortable then productivity is likely to fall. In fact, accidents, mistakes, low morale and increased absenteeism all occur more frequently in extremes of temperature, with most people feeling comfortable in a temperature of 18-21°C and a relative humidity of 40-60%.

In the UK, the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers recommends an office temperature of 20°C, whilst Helsinki University of Technology found that performance peaked in an office heated to around 22°C.

Following a month-long study by Cornell University in New York, an ideal office temperature was found to be 25°C. This conclusion was reached due to the study’s findings highlighting that those working in a temperature of 25°C typed 100% of the time and had a 10% error rate, whilst those working in 20°C only typed 54% of the time and had a 25% error rate.

However, contradicting all of these studies is Facebook, a company which maintains its offices at a chilly 15°C to keep staff alert.

Preparing for winter

Testing central heating systems with plenty of time to spare before the cold weather arrives is a common oversight made by facilities teams. It is often assumed that as the domestic hot water supply is operating efficiently, so is the central heating. However, this isn’t always the case and tests should be carried out ahead of time.
In the unfortunate event of a boiler failure, there are a number of steps which can be taken to maintain the temperature until the boiler is repaired or replaced.

Oil filled radiators or electric heaters can be a good solution if temporary boilers can’t be immediately connected. Whilst oil filled radiators are ideal for smaller areas, electric fan heaters are capable of heating large areas up to 500 cubic metres due to their in-built fan. Although electric heaters can heat a larger area, they do tend to emit more noise than oil filled radiators.
When installing a temporary solution, it’s important to ensure that you have an adequate power supply and enough amps available on your circuit. If you overload the circuit with electric heaters, this can result in operational issues such as computer spikes.

Key considerations for FMs

To ensure that the office environment is kept at a comfortable temperature, it’s important to check that your heating system is working effectively ahead of winter.

• When was your boiler and heating solution last serviced? Regular servicing can reduce your heating costs by ensuring your system is running smoothly and at maximum capacity. A full service would inspect all major boiler components including the pump, filter, pipes and the pressure of your system.
• Do you have a contingency plan in place? In the event of boiler or heating failure, to avoid downtime, a comprehensive contingency plan will ensure that a comfortable temperature can be restored as soon as possible. Temporary boilers aren’t as expensive as you might think and are available in a variety of sizes and capacities, ranging from minor hot water systems to all-encompassing heating and hot water arrangements which can service an entire building.
• If you are in need of a temporary boiler solution, consider the boiler’s capabilities along with its fuel requirements as each fuel type has its benefits and challenges. Diesel is one of the most common types of fuel and is used to operate many boilers. Delivered by fuel tankers, the diesel is also safely locked away in a fully bunded fuel tank to minimise the risk of theft. Other fuel available includes natural gas, often chosen when delivering diesel to a site is difficult or if the location has a supply of natural gas readily available. Electric boilers are also an option, tending to be more lightweight and ideal for heating hot water in confined spaces

Preparing your facility for winter will ensure that you are ready for any situation, allowing your staff to work productively irrelevant of the temperature outside.

For more information, visit: www.andrews-sykes.com