Keeping Midlands workers at 'perfect temperature' would cost most (From Bromsgrove Advertiser)

Keeping Midlands workers at 'perfect temperature' would cost most

7:20am Monday 30th May 2011 in Business Daily

RESEARCH commissioned by Warmafloor and carried out by YouGov has revealed that keeping workers in the Midlands at their perfect temperature would cost more than anywhere else in the UK.

Forty per cent of those that work indoors said that their optimum room temperature was 19-20C and a further 16% believed that theirs was 21-22C. This is in stark contrast with workers based indoors further north. In Scotland and the North, most people elected 17-18C as their optimum temperature (30% and 26% respectively).

ndoor temperature matters to the workers of the Midlands. Sixty-three per cent feel that their workplace is regularly too hot or too cold to work at their peak performance. In the event that they find themselves in a room hotter than their optimum temperature, only five per cent of those questioned said they would sit and do nothing. The majority would be motivated to take action - 69% said they would open the window, 52% would turn on a fan and 27% would turn up the air conditioning.

Mike Lamb, managing director of Warmafloor, said: “Working in an uncomfortable room temperature motivates a staggering 96% of people in the UK to take action that is costing businesses money or has environmental implications and, in some cases, health and safety repercussions (11% admit to opening fire escape doors). If people had faith in a system being able to provide a consistent and comfortable temperature, perhaps they wouldn’t tamper with it so readily.

“Surface heating and cooling systems are divided into multiple zones that can be independently controlled to suit a variety of personal preferences and room layouts. Any adjustments made by occupants can be reset at midnight. This provides a balance between energy efficiency and occupant comfort.”

He said that In times of austerity, businesses should pay more attention to the comfort of their employees to ensure they are able to work to their optimum ability. Yet nearly three-quarters (71%) of indoor workers in the Midlands claim that they experience drowsiness in a hot room, 53% suffer from loss of concentration, 37% experience headaches and 23% suffer from irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, which could all impact their ability to work effectively.

Mr Lamb added: “This survey will, hopefully, raise awareness about non-conventional technologies, such as surface heating and cooling. Similar solutions are widely used in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia to make workers feel more comfortable and to save on energy costs.

“They operate at lower temperatures and enable the heat source to operate at its highest efficiency. Installing such systems will typically translate to energy savings of 25% in domestic properties, rising to 50% in larger commercial or industrial buildings.”