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Do I Need
Air-Conditioning ?
Research has shown that individuals do not adapt
to prefer warmer or colder environments. This may seem obvious
for extreme highs and lows but the human body is a very delicate
and sensitive creation. No single environment is judged satisfactory
to everybody, even if they are wearing identical clothing and
performing the same activity. Many factors influence reaction
to environment; age, sex, time of day, drafts, vertical air temperature
difference, warm or cold floors and many others.
If temperature and humidity is kept within a narrow
band, depending on the activity, performance does maximise. Outside
this, performance drops off rapidly, more so for temperatures
and humidity that are too high. For example in a typical office
environment in the UK an internal comfort envelope of 22°C
± 3°C and 50% ± 20% relative humidity will result
in optimum performance.
Fortunately in the UK high humidity is rare enough
to be ignored for most human working considerations, temperature
however is not. Research has shown that if the internal temperature
vary by just 5% above the comfort envelope, occupants will begin
to become lethargic and minds wander to such an extent that work
rate can drop by 20%. If the temperature continues to rise to
10% above the comfort envelope then work rate can drop upto 50%.
In real terms this means that in the typical room,
a temperature of 27.5°C will mean a drop of possibly 50%
in performance. If your car was only firing on two cylinders you’d
have it looked at!
The question is no longer Do I need Air-Conditioning?
but can I afford not to have it?
Corby
Refrigeration, Gordon House, Dale Street, Corby, Northamptonshire,
NN17 2BQ UK
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Close control or Comfort
