With multiple health heat warnings during this summer and previous summers, and with temperatures reaching 40°C it’s easy to lose your cool in the office. Given that staff health, wellbeing and productivity are important during temperature spikes how do you ensure thermal comfort in Kent and London office spaces?
Hotter and Drier Summers…Warmer and Wetter Winters
We know the earth is getting warmer every year. According to the Met Office the “average global temperatures have risen by more than 1°C since the 1850s. 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 were the hottest years ever recorded. The figures show us that the planet has been warming since the Industrial Revolution.” The top 10 warmest years have occurred since 2002 with 2018 as the joint hottest summer for the UK as a whole and the hottest ever for England with temperatures reaching 35.3°C in Faversham, Kent; 37.8°C at Heathrow, London and 40.3°C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. For central England the 21st century has so far been hotter than the previous three centuries.
The Met office go onto say that “in the future, we project that the UK will see warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers and more frequent and intense weather extremes.” In fact, they predict that heatwaves are now 30 times more likely to happen due to climate change. By 2050 heatwaves are expected to happen at least every other year and by 2070 “winter will be between 1 and 4.5°C warmer and up to 30% wetter and summer will be between 1 and 6°C warmer and up to 60% drier.”
Current Workplace Temperature Legislation
UK workplace temperature is regulated by The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The regulations state:
(1) During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.
(1A) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1) –
(a) a workplace shall be adequately thermally insulated where it is necessary, having regard to the type of work carried out and the physical activity of the persons carrying out the work; and
(b) excessive effects of sunlight on temperature shall be avoided.
(2) A method of heating or cooling shall not be used which results in the escape into a workplace of fumes, gas or vapour of such character and to such extent that they are likely to be injurious or offensive to any person.
(3) A sufficient number of thermometers shall be provided to enable persons at work to determine the temperature in any workplace inside a building.
The regulations also say that a workplace should normally be at least 16°C, or if the work involves rigorous physical effort, then the temperature should be 13°C. As there is no defined upper working temperature limit other than “the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable” this leaves workplace upper temperature limits open to interpretation.
Why Should Kent and London Office Temperature Be A Priority?
According to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) “Turning up the heat – Learning from the summer 2022 heatwaves in England to inform UK policy on extreme heat” heat exposure costs the UK between £260–300 million per year. This figure could “rise to £720–950 million per year by 2050.”
The International Labour Organization (ILO) “Working on a WARMER planet – The impact of heat stress on labour productivity and decent work“ study found that “heat stress is increasingly becoming an obstacle to economic activity.” The data produced by the study also showed that “productivity loss increase[s] exponentially up to around 33–34°C, at which level 50 per cent of work capacity is lost. This means that at a temperature of 33–34°C, the worker produces only half as much in an hour as he or she would have produced in the absence of heat stress, resulting in the equivalent of half a working hour lost.”
Indoor Environment Berkley Lab’s study “Effect of temperature on task performance in office environment” focussed on how temperature affects office workplace performance and found that performance increases up to 21-22°C and decreases above 23-24 °C. The highest productivity occurs around 22°C.
Fellowes “Productivity in the UK report”, part of Fellowes Working Well campaign, found that 21million working days lost every month from distractions. Top UK office distractions included uncomfortable workstations (25%) and chairs (25%) and being too hot (37%). Fellowes UK Sales and Marketing Director Darryl Brunt said: “It’s clear that our workplace has a huge effect on our productivity and our report shows a real need for businesses to take heed.”
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) experimental model-based estimates suggest that in 2020 hot days reduced productivity in the UK by £5.3billion.
As well as an impact on productivity high temperatures in the office can cause ill health. When the human body can’t regulate its temperature or cool down it can lead to heat stress and a variety of health issues including muscle cramps, heat rashes, dizziness, fainting, excessive sweating and thirst, heat exhaustion (confusion, headaches, nausea and fatigue); and heat stroke (confusion, convulsions and eventual loss of consciousness). The London School of Economics state that “over 11 million potential labour hours were lost in 2022 across multiple sectors due to heat exposure.”
The Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) Health and Safety Time for Change highlights the fact that high temperatures can increase the likelihood of accidents due to reduced concentration.
Clearly the increasing UK temperature isn’t a problem that’s going to go away, and businesses need to deal with controlling office temperatures as a priority as the effect of rising temperatures within offices directly impact the UK economy, business productivity, concentration and staff health and wellbeing.
Ensuring A Comfortable Office Temperature
There are a variety of actions you can take to protect your business and staff from heatwaves and increasing temperatures within the office. These include:
Control Temperature Through Air Conditioning
Air conditioning can play a vital role in helping to set and maintain a constant office temperature (cool in summer and warm in winter). If your office space doesn’t have air con or a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system it’s worth considering it when you next refurbish. In the meantime, you could employ portable air conditioning units. One small unit could keep a small office space cool. Desk and ceiling fans can also play an important part in providing individual targeted cooling.
Keeping Windows Closed
When the weather is hot, our natural inclination is to open a window to let in cooler, fresh air however keeping windows closed can actually help to keep heat out. Where windows have blinds, or internal or external shades keeping them closed during warm weather can help to shut out sunlight and reduce heat in the workspace. Where blinds or shades are not available reflective window film can also deflect the heat from outside and prevent it from increasing the indoor temperature.
Plan Open Design
Office design and layout can play a role in keeping an office cool. Open plan offices enable a better flow of air through an office space when compared to individual cubicle style offices. When air can move freely around the office heat will dissipate more quickly and the space as a whole will be cooler. When areas become overcrowded heat can build up so it’s important to allow for equal spacing of desks and other furniture. This is where modular portable office furniture comes into its own.
Keep Out of Direct Sunlight
Where desks are placed within an office space can make a difference. When planning your office layout take some time to work out which parts of the office will be impacted by direct sunlight and where electrical equipment will be situated, as these spaces will be hotter. Positioning staff desks away from sunlight and equipment which generates heat will make for a cooler environment.
Invest In Energy Efficient Equipment
Heat in the office isn’t just generated by the weather, it can also be the result of heat generating equipment like PCs, laptops, monitors, photocopiers and printers. It’s therefore important to look at utilising more energy efficient equipment to reduce the heart produced. It can also help to turn off or unplug equipment when it’s not being used.
If you’re not using LED light bulbs and are instead using older light bulbs which generate much more heat, moving to LED lighting can reduce the heat within an office space.
Utilise High “Albedo” Colours
Colour can have an impact on perceived and actual office temperature. Some colours e.g., red, orange and yellow are perceived as warm colours whereas blue, purple, and green are identified as cool colours. Surfaces that are light in colour are categorised as having a high “albedo” (sometimes referred to as the “reflection coefficient”) (the fraction of light and heat that a surface reflects) while dark coloured surfaces absorb more light. Lighter colours therefore make you feel cooler.
Interestingly a Science Direct paper looking at “Improving resilience to hot weather in the UK: The role of communication, behaviour and social insights in policy interventions” outlines a series of approaches that the paper postulates must be adopted to increase UK resilience to heatwaves. This includes learning from other countries who have been “managing the impacts of heatwaves for decades” and includes closing shutters during the hot weather and painting buildings white.
Cool Plants
NASA’s “How Plants Can Change Our Climate” explains that “As plants ‘breathe’ and ‘perspire’ they help cool the atmosphere. Plants consume carbon dioxide. The reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has an indirect cooling effect.” They go onto say that “Plants also cool the atmosphere because they release water vapor when they get hot, a process similar to sweating.”
Homes and Gardens suggest there are 5 best air-cooling plants in their article “Looking for a natural air-cooling solution? Experts say these houseplants could be the answer to cooling your home in a heatwave” which could be utilised indoors to keep temperatures down. Office plants also play a role in health and well-being so having plants in the office can provide multiple benefits including improving air quality, helping to keep a space cool and improving staff health and happiness.
Hydration Is Important
When its hot and humid ensuring employees are hydrated is crucial. Providing staff with bottled water, waters stations, tea points, kitchen facilities or breakout points where they can access drinking water, can help them to keep cool and allow them to hydrate.
It’s all too easy to forget to drink throughout the day but staying hydrated is vital in beating the heat. However you should avoid drinking tea and coffee. Although hot drinks will trigger your body’s sweat response, tea and coffee contain caffeine which can increase your heart rate and blood flow which will then cause your temperature to rise, making you hotter.
Relaxing Dress Code
If your office has a formal dress code relaxing it when the weather is hot can help staff to keep cool. Although employers are under no legal obligation to do so allowing staff to get rid of dark suits , long sleeve shirts and ties can make a big difference to avoiding overheated staff.
Is There a “Right” Office Temperature?
When talking about controlling the temperature in the office, a question that’s often asked is what is the optimal temperature for a UK office? Maintaining an “ideal” temperature can be difficult as everyone is unique and thermal comfort can feel different to different people. We also know that temperature affects men and woman differently.
However according to research, the optimum office temperature with regards to productivity is around 21-22°C. If you have the ability to change your office temperature consulting your staff and finding the temperature that works for the majority of them, to allow them to keep cool in summer and warm in winter, is likely the best you can do to achieve the “ideal” temperature for your office space.
JBH Refurbishments, Experts In Office Design and Refurbishment
JBH Refurbishments are a cat a and cat b office fit out contractor for Kent and London. From your brief, to putting together a project plan, to developing your office design and layout to delivering your office fit out JBH Refurbishments will provide piece of mind. We understand what’s required to carry out office design and office refurbishments to the highest standards. We can provide the right expertise for your project. Contact us via our contact form or by calling us on 0333 207 0339 today for a free on-site consultation.
