There’s no denying that new technology is changing the way we work, and more people than ever are now enjoying the benefits of working from home.
Gone are the long, stressful commutes into the city to sit all day at the same desk.
There’s no more alternating between stuffy heat and icy blasts from air conditioners which simply cannot cater to everyone’s needs.
The ability to tailor your working environment to meet your own personal requirements is a great benefit of remote working, and now you can install high-quality air conditioning to keep your home at the right temperature and help you do your best work.
The everlasting battle of office AC
Around a million and a half people now work from home every year, a number which has doubled since 2008, and is set to rise even further, as more organisations realise that the benefits of working from home go far beyond saving office space and reducing commute times.
This is because making the office environment suitable for all staff to work in has always been a challenge.
One major cause of contention in recent years has been the battle of office air conditioning settings, and for many, the arguments over who holds the AC controller are still ongoing.
Some organisations have attempted to resolve the climate issue by centrally controlling the AC, drawing up strict company policies to instigate unalterable, workplace-wide settings for temperatures.
This can backfire, however, and actually increase employee discomfort and resentment as some needs are not met, while changes in weather conditions cannot be adapted to.
In fact, many more employees could be forced to work in far from ideal temperatures, which can lower both morale and productivity.
The drawbacks of office AC
If your desk at work is stuck under the AC airflow, you might be suffering from some of the major drawbacks of communal air con.
Signs include feeling uncomfortably cold, getting a crick in your neck, and experiencing irritated, dry eyes, and scratchy, dry skin. Over time you could find yourself working more slowly, putting on weight or even getting sick.
These ongoing workplace conflicts are no small matter in the grand scheme of things.
It is estimated that in the UK, around 2% of office hours are going to waste on discussions over climate control. Over the course of a year, this amounts to a £13 billion hit to the economy!
So, at least one of the major benefits of working from home is that it means the mundane, daily battle over who gets to control the temperature of the AC is finally over, at least for you.
Improving the climate at home with AC
These days, a multitude of young professionals, including many employees in London, can enjoy the perks of living and working in a beautiful apartment, which includes super-efficient insulation which works perfectly well to keep you warm during the year’s colder months.
However, summer in the city can be a very different experience when trying to control the temperature in your home.
Attempting to cool your apartment down by opening a window can very often result in drawing in more warm air from outside.
Similarly, attempts to cool off with a fan will simply circulate that hot air and offer little relief.
Feeling overheated can very quickly cause sleepiness, as can high humidity levels, and this fatigue lowers concentration levels.
This makes working at home efficiently during the summer much more difficult, if not impossible.
What’s more, trying to ventilate your home by opening windows can increase the glare from the sun, which can be distracting and make screen working very difficult, causing eye strain.
Outside noise from the city such as traffic and sirens entering through an open window can be very loud, regularly breaking your concentration and increasing your stress levels.
AC can increase comfort and productivity
The best solution is to balance the temperatures in your apartment with a specialist internal air conditioner.
Circulating cool, fresh air, which is monitored to maintain the exact temperature at which you work best, can help you relax into your working day and become more efficient, greatly increasing your overall productivity.
The increase in productivity when working at the right temperature has long been observed.
One study examining the impact of room temperature on employee efficiency tracked the work rate of a group of insurance clerks.
The results were significant, showing that productivity halved when the room temperature dropped by just 5°C, with staff members making twice as many mistakes as before.
There’s also evidence to suggest that good decision making can be adversely affected by too much warmth.
In a study, students were told to choose the best value phone package from two options, when situated in a cool room and a warm room.
The students in the cool room correctly chose the most cost-effective plan twice as often as those in the warmer room.
Installing AC into your home is easy
Cool You’s internal air conditioning solutions are well suited to the layouts of modern apartments.
These systems are self-contained, which means there is no need to gain planning permission to install our systems, as they have no impact on surrounding properties or outside space.
Our modern, attractively designed units are extremely compact and can be easily retrofitted, or installed while you make other renovations to your apartment.
They are also incredibly quiet, so they can keep you cool without distracting you from your work. With full WiFi control, you can easily adjust the ambient temperature of the room without having to get up from your desk.
So, if you would like more information on how Cool You’s internal AC solutions could improve your experience of working from home, please get in touch with our team.
