What Is Comfort?...

Is Your Building Running HOT AND COLD?

It's a muggy August afternoon. Employee A is "dying" of the heat and wants someone to fix the air conditioning. On the other hand Employee B is wearing a sweater and shivering. Employee C says, "I'm comfortable!" and wants to know why the other two are complaining.

The dictionary defines comfort as a "condition of mind in which satisfaction is expressed within their environment"! While no single environment can be judged satisfactory by everybody, most people will achieve comfort in an office if it meets the following criteria:

·         Space Temperature. Uniform and between 70-78F. Slightly cooler in winter and slightly warmer in summer.

·         Absence of radiant fields and no cold windows, cold floors, warm radiators, or radiant solar heat at windows.

·         No convective drafts. This is caused by excessive cool air movement.

·         Absence of objectionable noise. Uniform, continuous noises in the 35-40 noise range are acceptable. Noises such as rattling, whistling are not acceptable.

·         Air Movement. Continuous movement with local office velocities at 30-50 feet per minute (FPM). Circulated air should be no more than 2F different from the ambient space temperature.

·         Relative Humidity. Space relative humidity (RH) controlled between 30 and 50% range. Winter at 30% and summer at 50%.

·         No Temperature Stratification. Vertical temperature differences between feet and head.

·         Clean Air. Increased levels of airborne contaminants, odors, or microbial particles will give people a sense of "sick building syndrome".

If your building runs hot and cold, give us a call, at 800/482-2911 (800/HVAC-911). We might be able to help. Or E-Mail us at info@enterprisehvac.com.

Comfort is Critical
For Employee Productivity

I. Commercial occupants who experience three annual interruptions to their heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) service have a 56% probability of not renewing, their lease. Should these tenants face problems dealing with building management in addition to these interruptions, the chance of them relocating increases to 80%.⁽¹⁾

II. Seventy percent of occupants dissatisfied with their space named poor temperature control as the  primary reason people are uncomfortable in their existing office building.

III. Fifty percent of tenants said they would pay more in their existing facility to improve comfort conditions in their office. ⁽²⁾

IV. The top five complaints facility managers hear most often: ⁽³⁾

• Too hot in the office
• Too cold in the office
• Not enough storage in the workstations
• Office is not clean
• Poor indoor air quality

V. During 1990 the United States commercial office leasing markets experienced an average vacancy rate in excess of 18%. The average replacement time for lost tenants exceeded 12 months. ⁽⁴⁾

VI. The EPA estimates the economic post of poor indoor air quality totals tens of billions of dollars annually. ⁽⁵⁾

Sources:

1. BOMA Study
2. The Strategy Research Group, Inc.
3. IFMA
4. Business Week
5. Wall Street Journal