You’re probably all too familiar with the phenomenon of office temperature fluctuation because you’ve experienced it first-hand. What you might not know is that office temperature fluctuations hurt productivity. In fact, research conducted by Cornell University revealed that when office temperatures were raised just nine degrees, from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, errors decreased by an impressive 44 percent. As fantastic as it might seem, overall productivity increased by an unbelievable 150 percent.
Reasons Why Your Office Temperature isn’t Consistent
These figures are certainly eye-opening, particularly if you’re a business owner. While you might have endured office temperature fluctuations, you ought to be aware there’s a lot more inconvenience ahead. This is because whatever is causing it is doing slow, but substantial damage to your commercial HVAC system. In other words, these fluctuations are telltale signs something’s awry and it will wind-up costing more if left unaddressed.
We spend much of our lives at the office working diligently, slacking off, and talking about our weekend around the water cooler. Despite spending so much of our lives at work, there’s plenty about office life we don’t understand or would be surprised to learn. For instance, why do you sometimes find yourself looking forward to busy work? Why are you sadder when the office temperature drops and you find yourself wrapped up in five layers? And just how bad is social media to your productivity? —Forbes
If you sweat in one place in your office and have to put-on a sweater in other place, that’s not normal. Such fluctuations are more than annoying, they are costly, not just in the way of productivity, but also, in higher utility bills, and, increased maintenance and repair costs. If you’re experiencing temperature fluctuations in your office, there are some common reasons your office temperature isn’t consistent:
- Obstructions. One employee feels too chilly, so, he or she simply puts something in front of the air vent, or, blocks it outright by adjusting the vent to the closed position. Unfortunately, this only solves one problem but causes another. That air must go somewhere and this is one reason temperatures fluctuate from one place to another in the same office.
- Leaky ductwork. When ductwork is cracked or torn, the air it carries will vent out, causing temperatures to differ from one place in the office to another. Cool or warm air might flow into one space, but, leak out before reaching the next space.
- Wrong-sized commercial HVAC equipment. If the commercial HVAC system isn’t sized appropriately, it won’t work effectively or efficiently. That means temperatures may differ from one space to another, and, unnecessarily increase utility costs.
- Old thermostat(s). Thermostats are a very big part of how well a commercial HVAC works. When these are old and outdated, they don’t work as well and that means the system is being run inefficiently. It can cause temperature fluctuations to occur and these will show up on your utility bills.
Another reason why office temperatures fluctuate is due to deferred maintenance. While you might think you’re saving money by deferring maintenance, you’re actually going to cost yourself more in the future when the damage is done. Don’t let your system go without regular maintenance or you’ll have to deal with a bigger problem inevitably.
