You Are Not Weird; the Office Air Conditioner Is Too cold for Women.

Do you ever feel the need to use a pashmina or keep a cup of very hot beverage close to weather the ‘office temperature’?

I know you may wonder if there is something wrong with you sometimes but a recent study just revealed that it isn’t you, it is the office air conditioning system-and other public air conditioning system.

According to Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki, air conditioner sales rises by 20% every year but modern air-conditioning has a major defect. For 50 years, the settings for air conditioning in commercial places follow the standard 55 guidelines. The problem with the Standard 55 guidelines is that it was a formula arrived at using the metabolic rate of a 40 year old man of about 70kg in th 1960s.

You will agree that a lot has changed in public places and even the workplace since the 1960s. More women are involved in the workplace but unfortunately no one has thought to review the standard 55 guidelines to absorb this change.

Talking to TODAY, Dr Devi Nampiaparampil of NYU School of Medicine, said that women tend to burn off energy slower than men causing them to catch cold more easily.

Another thing to consider, according to Dr Devi, is the clothing. Many women wear skirts compared to men who not only wear trousers but follow a work cloth ethic that involves layering most times.

Should a Change Be Effected Just To Please Women?

It isn’t just about the women being disadvantaged, there are also other factors that makes it imperative for this air conditioning guideline to be reviewed.

Citing a study, the New York Times revealed that people make a lot of mistakes and do not get much work done in very cold temperatures.

What Can Be Done?

Perhaps, it is time to review the standard air cooling temperature in public places to suit everyone. Asides from doing ladies a lot of good, we get to reduce the carbon footprint on the environment.

In a proactive stance, office workers were encouraged to loose their jackets and ties in a campaign launched by the then Prime Minister of Japan called the Cool Biz Campaign. The campaign was aimed at saving cooling cost and also reducing CO2 emissions.

To all the women hunched over their cups of hot coffee for survival while the male folks stroll around like there is nothing to be bothered about, stay strong soldier. Change is almost here.