Winter weather is here, and clearly has been for some time.
“We’ve recently experienced a challenging 56 of 61 days with measured precipitation. If anyone has an extra ticket to Hawaii/Mexico please contact me. One way, or round trip – I’m not too picky,” notes UFV Energy Manager Blair McFarlane, and he’s only half kidding.
Since the vast majority of us are here at work for the duration of winter, McFarlane has passed along some easy tips to stay comfortable.
- Wear a sweater. Layers are the best way to self-regulate your own temperature without disturbing your colleagues.
- Don’t use a space heater. It’s true, you can be more comfortable without it!
HVAC 101: The heating/cooling system operates in zones. If the system reads higher temperatures in an area (caused by a space heater), the system will respond by trying try to cool the entire zone back to the regularly programmed temperature .
You and your colleagues will likely feel an uncomfortably cool draft — slowly freezing out your colleagues. Clearly that’s too cool for school. …Sorry.
Alternatives include wearing layers, or utilizing a fleece throw/blanket*
- Close your windows! For those who have office windows, don’t abuse your privilege! The cool air gets in, and the system sends in more and more hot air to your office… and everywhere else in that zone. If your window is open, you’re likely overheating your colleagues, not to mention wasting a huge amount of energy.
You wouldn’t keep your windows at home open during the winter, would you?
If you have tried all of the above mentioned tips and still can’t get the right temperature in your workspace, please contact Facilities before bringing in supplementary heat.
Let us know how we can help you be more comfortable at work, while maintaining our commitment to increasingly sustainable operations.
*Limited fleece blankets are available. Contact blair.mcfarlane@ufv.ca for more information.