Walk into nearly any office in Portland and you’ll likely see casualties of the office thermostat wars. One person’s perspiring in short sleeves. Two desks down someone else wears a thick sweater. There may even be some poor soul shivering in a blanket, chasing chills away with hot tea.
Oh, and look! There’s someone acting cagey near the thermostat, dialing up the AC. That person probably won’t be the last employee of the day making temperature adjustments on the sly.
Constant adjustments to the temperature make everyone in the office uncomfortable. It also wastes energy as your HVAC system runs more than it should.
Thermostat battles heat up during the summer. Employees dress in light clothes to stay cool on their way to work, but then feel cold when they step indoors.
Strive for a Happy Medium
Offices are notorious for having hot and cold spots. Making the problem worse are the widely differing preferences of your staff. How can you please everyone in the office?
Survey your employees and set the temperature at a reasonable compromise. A temperature between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit works for most people. Make small tweaks as needed, but stay within that 4-degree window. Limit control of the thermostat to the building or office operations staff.
Control Heat Gain with Office Window Tinting
Sun streaming through windows creates a glare and heats up an office. Window film addresses both problems. Lightly tinted film dims the glare while allowing in natural light.
Panorama solar films prevent overheating by keeping out about 77 percent of the sun’s heat. Better management of solar heat reduces office energy consumption and can help those sitting near windows feel more comfortable.
Pacific Window Tinting offers a free energy analysis based on your office’s logistics. We’ll consider exposure, number and type of windows and more. Based on our findings, we’ll recommend the ideal installation of office window tinting.
Smart Applications
Many thermostats have Wi-fi capability. A number of smartphone apps are available to help facilities managers handle employee requests.
For instance, the CrowdComfort app sends messages from office occupants to managers. Managers can then adjust temperatures on the fly if necessary.
Comfy, another app, works with your building’s thermostat. The app gives users a choice of 3 Goldilocks-style messages: warm my space, cool my space or I’m comfy.
Empower Your Staff
Efficiency and morale improve when workers feel in control. A compromise will always leave someone in the cold to a certain degree. Manage the discontent by empowering employees. Relax the summer dress code to business casual. Make sure employees have a place to send requests for temperature adjustments. If a change in seating assignments can help, allow employees to choose a different desk.
Pacific Window Tinting installs window film in commercial and residential buildings. Contact us today for more information about our services.