Dear Tom,
The air conditioning season is here again, and my co-workers will be arguing about thermostat settings in the office. What are your thoughts about ideal temperatures?
Greg Bolick
Dear Greg,
Indoor comfort levels are a matter of personal preference, and our "internal thermostats" are all set slightly differently. Air temperature is a big factor, but relative humidity and air movement are important too.
We checked with acknowledged experts in the field of indoor environmental comfort: the 55,000-member American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), headquartered in Atlanta. An ASHRAE study determined that a temperature of 74 to 76 degrees in an office environment is comfortable for most sedentary people when the relative humidity is 50 to 60 percent and there is a slight air movement (but not strong enough to be a draft).
The air conditioning season is here again, and my co-workers will be arguing about thermostat settings in the office. What are your thoughts about ideal temperatures?
Greg Bolick
Dear Greg,
Indoor comfort levels are a matter of personal preference, and our "internal thermostats" are all set slightly differently. Air temperature is a big factor, but relative humidity and air movement are important too.
We checked with acknowledged experts in the field of indoor environmental comfort: the 55,000-member American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), headquartered in Atlanta. An ASHRAE study determined that a temperature of 74 to 76 degrees in an office environment is comfortable for most sedentary people when the relative humidity is 50 to 60 percent and there is a slight air movement (but not strong enough to be a draft).
That sounds about right. I keep my AC at about 78 and it feels just a little too warm, so 74 to 76 would be about right.