A 'reasonable' temperature

[Welshbird]

In the UK there is no legal upper limit for office temperature, the legislation simply says that the temperature must be reasonable.

But what on earth is reasonable?

Currently the temperature at my desk is 33 (almost 34) degrees centigrade.

We have some portable air conditioning units, but quite frankly they aren't worth the space. I've just been to get more cold water from the cooler, and waling back into the office one encounters the same wall of heat you get leaving a plane on your summer holidays to somewhere warm.

Any suggestions are hugely welcome! So far we are all drinking bucket-loads of water, and from tomorrow we are going to hae a rota for showering during the day-time.

I casn't concentrate, and its just making me into a grumpy melting analyst...

(It's made slightly worse for me, in that as a contractor, if I don't work I'm not paid, whereas some of the permies have gone home early.)

grumble
grumble
grumble....

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[AnotherHiggins]

-> management turns the AC off at 5:30 sharp every day because they are cheap b*st*rds.

Unless the outside temperature falls very low during the night, they're not doing a very good job of being cheap b*st*rds....

It takes less energy (and therefore less money) to keep the inside a relatively constant temperature rather than trying to bring the temperature down from 90F every morning. They shouldn't be turning the AC off, but rather bumping it up to 75F.

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[flapeyre]

It takes less energy (and therefore less money) to keep the inside a relatively constant temperature rather than trying to bring the temperature down from 90F every morning. They shouldn't be turning the AC off, but rather bumping it up to 75F.

I can vouch for that. Many moons ago, when I moved out of my parents' home and got my own apartment (two rooms with one window unit), I thought I'd save money by turning the AC off during the day. But it got so hot in the daytime that I was forced to turn on the air and leave for three hours while it cooled down again. Finally, I started to just leave it on 24/7, and the electric bill went way down.

Nullum gratuitum prandium.
--Sleipinir214

 

[mrdenny]

You know that, and I know that. But they aren't the brightest bulbs in the pack some times.

They also want the ability to charge us $400 per hour to have the AC on after hours.

Let me tell you, the servers in the office love the heat during the summer when it's 80 outside all night the temp in the building hits 110+.

Denny
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[flapeyre]

Sheesh. I'd consider moving your office.

$400 per hour?? Cheap b*st*rds, indeed.

Nullum gratuitum prandium.
--Sleipinir214

 

[ousoonerjoe]

As it was mentioned before......

Time for a new client. $400 an hour for AC? Is it directly attached to the cold storage warehouse for the entire city supplies? That's absurd.

The pregnant chick's gotta be hurting. Here in the US she'd have a law suit for "unreasonable accommodations" and most likely would win it. If they fired her for complaining about it, she could hurt the company bad.

"If I were to wake up with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now.

 

[mrdenny]

flapeyre,
We would, but the view of the Marina is worth the pain (hence the 1 ton AC unit in the office).

Fee,
We haven't heard back from you about the work situation. Are you a direct contractor, or through another company?

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Configuration / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007: Configuration)
MCITP Database Administrator (SQL 2005) / Database Developer (SQL 2005)

My Blog

 

[flapeyre]

Let's see..

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that your building has an AC unit that draws, at peak load, 10 kilowatts. I'm being generous.

Assuming a 10 KW unit at $0.15 / KWH, that costs them $1.50 per hour for A/C. $36.00 per day.

That's 267 times as much as the power costs them.

They must have their own nuclear power plant.


Nullum gratuitum prandium.
--Sleipinir214

 

[BJCooperIT]

I would seriously consider investing in a portable air conditioner for my area. That is simply unacceptable.

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[Welshbird]

All contractors are officially via the same agency, but that is to try and avoid the IR35 legislation in the UK.

SO, the agency aren't too interested - the perminant crew have approached the company forum and thier representatives, and they aren't too interested either.

Today its 27 degrees, and to be honest, I've become aclimatised to tropical weather, so I'm actually quite cold!

But to answer you all, nothing changes...

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[ousoonerjoe]

Have you considered a relocation program? Say the States or Canada? I hear they have this new contraption called Air Conditioning. Most curious device.

You could always make a homemade Swamp Cooler. Put a block of ice in a bucket and run a fan that blows across the ice towards you. Not exactly computer friendly, but does help the temperature issues.

"If I were to wake up with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now.

 

[Welshbird]

I've had air-con everywhere else I've worked so I'm fairly convinced that this isn't a British issue - rather a stingy one!

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[Welshbird]

Relocation though. Why not indeed??

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen