PRESS RELEASE

‘Extreme work temperatures can be bad for your business’—Concepcion BIS

APRIL 2016

Rajan Komarasu, Group Director of Concepcion Building and Industrial Solutions, urges employers to ensure their employees’ thermal comfort, an endeavor which can also

translate to energy savings for the business.

 

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) has warned Filipinos to be ready for hotter temperatures year-round. This has prompted the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to urge employers to mitigate the effects of extreme heat in the workplace. What may not be readily apparent is that extreme work temperatures in the workplace do not just affect employees, but also carry with them financial costs for the business, in particular, by decreasing productivity.

 

Several studies have found that temperatures can affect employees’ productivity. However, addressing productivity is not simply just providing air-conditioning units and setting them on full blast. It is just as essential for employers to ensure that employees work in the right conditions, including the right temperature.

 

Rajan Komarasu, Group Director of Concepcion Building and Industrial Solutions (BIS), explains that building engineers consider different factors to ensure that a building’s indoor temperature is comfortable and good for the health of its occupants. “Aside from ambient air temperature, we also need to factor in radiant heat, humidity, and air speed—all these on top of the building occupants’ metabolic rate and clothing,” he explains.

 

While studies to date show that finding the ideal thermostat for all parties involved has been elusive, especially because thermal satisfaction differs from person to person, Komarasu emphasizes that building operators and employers should still be conscious about creating a comfortable work environment for employees.

 

“Aiming for employees’ thermal comfort can result in a range of advantages, from better relationships and collaboration, higher employee morale and productivity, lower electricity costs, to having a smaller building carbon footprint,” he adds.

 

Why office temperature matters

Studies have shown that office temperature can affect employees’ performance, moods, and motivations, hence their productivity, and, most importantly, their overall health.

 

A study by Cornell University on the link between workplace temperature and productivity found that when office workers feel too cold, their performance drops. When the work environment drops to 20 degrees Celsius, employees commit more typing errors and work more slowly, compared to when the physical environment is about 25 degrees Celsius or comfortably warm for the worker, which makes them work more efficiently. Similar studies have illustrated how comfortable temperatures can improve learning abilities like focus and memorization.

 

Meanwhile, Yale University psychologists noted that extremely high temperatures can make one feel lethargic, hence, less productive, a behavior that is more evident during the summer and resulting in more frequent absenteeism. On the other hand, extremely low temperatures in the workplace can increase an employee’s feelings of sadness and loneliness, and affect his ability to accomplish a certain task.

 

Nature Climate Change Journal also published a study that claimed that standard building temperatures are based on a formula from the 60s that uses only the metabolic rates of males. Metabolic rates differ based on gender, and women typically have lower metabolisms than men. This means that the standards have been biased towards the metabolic rates of men, who feel comfortable in temperatures that already feel too chilly for women. Similarly, the Association for Psychological Science found that women worked more efficiently when the office environment was kept at a temperature that feels slightly warmer for men.

 

In terms of work temperatures’ effects on employees’ health, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, extreme temperatures can lead to serious illnesses. “We need to ensure that our workplaces maintain a reasonable temperature that is good for the health and wellbeing of employees,” emphasizes Komarasu. Sky-high temperatures put employees at risk of heat stress, fatigue, exhaustion, or worse, heat stroke. In the same way, extreme cold at work puts employees at risk of cold stress, early symptoms of which may include shivering, fatigue, decreased coordination, and disorientation and confusion.

 

In terms of reducing energy consumption, sticking to a standard temperature can be beneficial for the business. The Department of Energy has been urging the private sector to save on energy use by setting the air-conditioning thermostat limit to 25 degrees Celsius, especially in the summer when demand is higher. “Complying with guidelines like this can help reduce a company’s operating expenses and also reduce its carbon footprint,” Komarasu notes.

 

For its part, CIC and Concepcion BIS launched the Green Footprints Movement, which aims to encourage the public and various industries to reduce their environment footprint. “In line with consciously reducing our energy consumption, we need to actively choose technologies that leave a smaller impact on the environment. Our commitment is for more people to have greater access to environment-friendly and cost-efficient products, which is why since 2015, we have been focusing on converting our refrigerants to non-ozone depleting ones,” adds Komarasu.

 

Ensuring workplace productivity for all

Komarasu emphasizes that building operators and employers have a responsibility to provide a healthy workplace for employees. “It’s a fact that temperature affects people differently, and it may be virtually impossible to find that sweet spot in the thermostat that would please everyone. This is why we need to keep innovating to find new ways to maximize employee comfort and productivity,” he says.

 

“We are constantly pushing the envelope on technology and intelligent design to achieve the most efficient and innovative cooling systems that can address our clients’ specific concerns,” Komarasu adds. “As building engineers, we can make this possible by building smarter buildings and more efficient environmental control systems in the workplace.”

 

Concepcion BIS is the commercial arm of publicly-listed Concepcion Industrial Corp. (CIC), and houses the brands Carrier, Midea, Toshiba, and Otis. Developers, architects, engineers, or building operators interested to speak with Concepcion BIS regarding their building needs may call (02) 8888-247 (BIS), or call toll-free by dialing 1-800-10-8888-247 (BIS).

MORE PRESS RELEASE

Government-private sector synergy needed to take edge off climate

change threats

MARCH 2016

At the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, we witnessed the adoption of the most historic global agreement to effectively act on climate change. The United States and China have committed to cut their emissions by 28% and 65% in the next 15 years, respectively. On the other hand, the Philippines, one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change yet comprises only 0.32% of total global emissions, promised to reduce its carbon emissions by 70% before 2030. How does this promise fit into sustaining the country’s growth drivers?

 

Read More

Mainstay in Philippine banking sector gets green air-con system through Concepcion-Carrier and DENR program

MARCH 2016

Concepcion-Carrier Air-Conditioning Company, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), recently completed the installation of new, energy-efficient chillers in one of the largest banks in the Philippines, which is one of the beneficiaries of the Philippine Chiller Energy Efficiency Project (PCEEP).

 

Read More

Let’s Work Together

send a quick Inquiry

Concepcion-Otis Philippines Inc.

Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Co.

Customer Service

+63 (2) 8 888 8247

 

Toll Free

1-800-10-888-8247

 

Office Telephone

+63 (2) 8 850 1367

 

Address

Km. 20, East Service Road South Superhighway Muntinlupa City, Philippines

OTISLINE

+63 (2) 8 888-OTIS (6847)

 

Toll Free

1-800-1-888-6847

 

Office Telephone

+63 (2) 8 888-OTIS (6847)

 

Address

21F BPI-Philam Building, 6811 Ayala Avenue,

Makati City Philippines

We start. We f inish.