to think that public buildings in this country DON'T need air conditioning

[kitnkaboodle]

This is a typical British wishy-washy summer. You go out in your summer clothes and just about feel OK until you get inside some shop, bank, etc, where the aircon is blasting out. Why?? It's unnecessary, unecological and uncomfortable. I can't think that it's sound retail practice either, because it just makes me want to scoot around and get out as soon as possible to the warmth outside.

Worst culprits round here - Lloyds Bank and the Co-op. Brrr!

The building I work in would be illegally hot without aircon.

My recollection is there is no statutory upper figure for a working environment. There is however, a lower one (15C I believe).

I know this because we had a sweltering office a few years ago, and the union rep said it wasn't illegal in itself - even though it was 27/28.

The unworkably hot, hot to the point that work would be impossible, people would be taken ill.

In fact you are right: there was a proposal for a legal maximum some years ago, I think from Brussels. I would welcome it wherever it came from.

And a maximum working volume too. Including at places of so-called entertainment where you have to scream to be heard.

Then unworkably hot, damn it!

I work in a supermarket and believe me, we need the air-conditioning in summer. There are people who work in kitchens, in bakeries with hot ovens, in cafeterias and in rotisseries where the temperature gets to the mid thirties without air conditioning.

Customers have the option of adding layers/wearing weather appropriate clothes. Staff don't. And the staff are the ones there 8-12 hours a day. I think their health/comfort has to come first.

there is no 'illegally hot'. Like many, I've worked in places where it was not pleasant.

are people really so stupid that they don't go into a shop if the door is closed, even though lights are on/it is opening time/other people are in there?

I hope not. Although if shopping stops being seen as a hobby instead of a way of getting what you need, the whole idea would work better.

any architect who can't design a building for the UK with no aircon required wants defrocking.

Most modern buildings have to be energy efficient and good at retaining heat - hence the need for aircon in the summer.

The thing is, we're mostly a cool country so 99% of the time the building needs to keep heat in, which is a problem on the rare days it is too warm.

A UK store changing room on a warm day in the summer is grim just a few weeks ago I was so warm in one I almost passed out.

I work in a co-op, usually the air con keeps the shop at the perfect temperature.

Last week the thing was bloody condemned so I have had to work 4 shifts so far in a sweltering shop. The chocolates are melting, the fridges are struggling to keep cool, and all the staff are feeling sick in the heat. Honestly it's been awful at work this week.

We might just get it fixed in time for Xmas.

Yanbu.

Most of my office wear jumpers when its on. Horrid misued thing. The change in temp really screws me up.

YABU! Our office would be unbearable without it. It's all open plan and it's huuuge. There's more than 300 people and 300 computers. Opening windows would do nothing except for the couple of people next to the windows. It's also a very conservative workplace and we all have to wear suits. It would be horrible. Yes, sometimes an idiot makes it waay to cold but that gets resolved with a couple of complaints.

Ever tried to work in a UK hospital? I used to be on the ward round at 8am with sunshine streaming through large glass windows at the top of a ten storey building with sweat running down my back… Pretty happy to be in Oz now with air conditioning in work with a constant temperature all year round. The problem is mainly that it can be set too cold- get it right and it makes life about a billion times better.

Its cold and raining today. Windows would be fine for most places. But they are closed and ac is kicking out frosty stale air.

Doesn't work retrofitting it, people by the units are freezing.

I habe a blanket on my lap and a hot water bottle.

a lot of this could be solved by brain use on the part of employers.

all computers OFF at night. Not standby, OFF.
sensible dress code for employees. Comfortable need not mean scruffy.

windows that open.

here in the home office (no aircon of course) I have the window open and a jumper on. Just right.

all computers OFF at night. Not standby, OFF.

That lasted 2 days when the brainboxes where I work decided to "save money". Everyone came in one day, and all 1,000+ desktops needed a Windows update. Network ground to a halt, and some people didn't start work till midday.

Also turning computers on and off leads to quite horrendous rates of disk failure (or used to when they were predominantly spinning metal).

special it would cost a fortune to put new windows in buildings and in places like hospitals the windows don't open so that people can't jump out (at least that's what bosses say).

Also in some work places, (not just hospitals) the computers are in use 24/7

Bear in mind that some buildings can take 2-3 days to establish thermal stability ...

I work in a co-op. It's a small one where 3 of the four walls are fridges.

I have to wear thermals underneath my uniform and still freeze.

Customers constantly complain. The olive oil is always cloudy so we have to explain it isn't off and the red wine drinkers get a bit annoyed too.

I don't know why they feel the need to have it blasting in all weathers, but be glad it's there. I live in Basel where they've made the rules on aircon for commercial buildings and offices very strict, which means that almost no public buildings have aircon. I was sitting in my German classes last month and it was 42 degrees in the room, so hot you actually start to feel sick. Depends where you are in the UK but in the south east it does sometimes get hot enough to need aircon, I think.

I did a work placement this July in a shop with air con and I loved it. I feel extremely unwell in heat and was concerned that I wouldn't perform well. Thankfully the shop had good air con so nobody found out what a wimp I am.

On one day I nearly passed out on the bus home even though it wasn't crowded. I felt so sorry for the driver working in those conditions. It was well over 30 degrees and I was only sat in it for 20 minutes.