Unnecessary air conditioning

[SunshineHello]

Why is it suddenly a ‘thing’ for anywhere with air con to chill indoors to about 12 degrees, as soon as it’s mildly warm outdoors?

Shop staff all with jumpers on while it’s 25 degrees outside. Office workers spending their summers shivering at their desks under a jet of ice cold air.

Why?

I've noticed that those members of our staff who are overweight always want the aircon turned up, while those with 'less padding' don't. Completely reasonable if you recognise that fat is nature's insulation.

As the UK population gets fatter, the demand for aircon will go up, as has happened in the US.

I'm a size 8-10.

My rather chubby father was always complaining about being cold. I don't think it's as simple as that.

@ALongHardWinter I’m with you, all I have noticed this summer is the air conditioning not being switched on or being set to a still high temperature in public spaces that I did expect to have air con such as my local mall or cinema. I think they’re trying to save money. But then again I work in the NHS and we have no air-con at work, these people complaining seem to mostly be at work. I’d love to have had air conditioning this summer at work, it’s been absolute hell.

I hate it so much. I have a stash of jumpers and winter clothes at work to change into after cycling there in a vest and shorts in the summer.

I don't understand why heating & car use gets berated but ac is acceptable. It's really bad for the environment

I have never experienced this. The only air con I ever have control of is in the car or hotel rooms where I set it to 18 maximum. Usually 16 in the car.

Office is generally comfortable in the morning but gets warmer in the afternoon and we can't turn it down.

I suffer and sweat in the heat, always have and my Dh is always complaining about me having fans on. Never heard such rot that women feel the cold more.

I'm in Australia too and have it on 18. All summer sometimes goes to 22, but not any higher, though here it's 40+ all summer. I hate the heat, so I want it cold all summer.

To the Op not new here we've had air con since I was born basically do nearly 40 years at school work in the car and home it's a must here.

Having just woken up in a hotel room that’s absolutely boiling I would kill for air con so yabu.

I LOVE the cold, any time I’m in a hotel with air con I’ll have it on the coldest setting.
I’ve yet to have to turn it up.

It's not "suddenly" a thing. Large shops and offices etc have had air con for decades.

Yes, I was hoping that the cost of energy would stop this nonsense.

The problem is that men often have to wear suits and closed shoes in offices and women can wear dresses and sandals so men are going to feel warmer.

I almost resigned from r my job because the air con would come on at 5:30 in the evening and be really cold even in the winter. The maintenance guy wouldn't believe me and I was chilled to the bone and when I went out in the cold it was unbearable.

Fortunately one day the maintenance guy agreed to stay after 5:30 and felt the air con come on for himself and did something about it.

I forgot to say but I actually brought a little heater in with me and put it on when the aircon came on because the maintenance guy wouldn't believe me.

YANBU. One of the reasons I hate going into the office is that it's so cold!

I should add that I'm not someone who prefers the heat. I hate hot weather, I'd rather be too cold than too hot. But our office is ridiculously cold.

@blahblahblah1654 Some of the research is summarised in this article https://amp.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2017/oct/11/why-women-sewcretly-turn-up-the-heating

Of course there are individual differences, but it seems pretty clear it that on average women are comfortable at a warmer ambient temperature than men.

I agree with you @SunshineHello, but this in MN where everyone seems to hate the heat or suffer from all the negative aspects of the menopause. I know that a lot of public buildings have had aircon for decades but I agree that it is more noticeable now and buildings are a lot cooler.

On hot days I take a cardigan to work, and take my lunch outside to eat just so that I can warm up. I don't live and work in London or even a city so we don't get the urban heat island effect..

We have the odd day where air conditioning is required, but most of the time it is a ridiculous waste of money and bad for the environment. In most cases just opening a window will suffice - and yes, we have windows that open at work. We don't need it on cold days, and yes, we have had people with heaters on under their desks because the aircon is too fierce @Fightyouforthatpie

It’s also such a huge waste of energy use. There is a happy medium between being frozen and being melting

Exactly @Crunchingleaf. Sitting still at 18 degrees means that I need a cardigan or jumper. If I was gardening or moving around at 18 degrees I would just be in short sleeves.

I agree that trains are often too cold now and non food shops overuse aircon as well.

It's not a new thing but I completely agree that it's annoying. I get so cold and physically unwell after 8h in the office because it! We're always told to turn the thermostat down in the winter to save money and the environment, yet its perfectly acceptable still to keep indoor spaces at arctic temperatures with air con.

YANBU.

Especially some chain cafes and restaurants - it's like Costa want you to leave as quickly as possible.

Don't know where the daffodil came from

Someone needs to tell dh and his male colleagues that they are supposed to like the cold more than their female colleagues! There is a constant air con battle in his work as all the women want it to be colder, and the men warmer!

As a 50y woman I definitely like the general house temperature to be a little cooler than dh. Though I hate it being really cold outside, and prefer warmer outdoor temperatures in general, but like the aircon cold!

Air conditioning alleviates the symptoms of climate change while contributing directly towards it. It's not feasible to expect everywhere to be at a comfortable 21 degrees while addressing unnecessary energy use. We need to invest in design that is sensible for a heating planet and not design that needs high energy use to heat/cool it eg tall glass fronted buildings.

In shops it's to keep the food fresh. I read that women want the heating on when men don't, never found this in real life. I'm usually really hot. Even my 31 year old DD hates the heat,loves working in places with air conditioning.... unfortunately at the moment this is Wilko. My last (hospital) ward,20 years ago, when the patients were tucked up for the night, I had a desk just inside the ward,to sit and do the paperwork, while being able to keep an eye on the patients, the air conditioning came on at midnight, unit was bang over my head, absolutely freezing and you're cold when you're tired anyway. The day staff were suffering, course the windows only open a little for safety.

This thread is like an object lesson in “the plural of anecdote isn’t data”. Some posters linking to peer-reviewed research, others refuting it with ‘Well, I like it cool and my husband likes it warm so you’re talking rubbish!’

YANBU!

We recently stayed in a Premier Inn and it was bloody freezing in the restaurant/bar area! Had to wrap up to eat/drink and go outside for a warm!

Er..I would have liked some air conditioning in the office over the past few weeks. It’s been quite hot hasn’t it? Very stuffy in that office though fortunately I’m sat by a window.