It is a well known fact the United Kingdom has more use for radiators than it does for air conditioning. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that less than 1% of homes are equipped with air con systems.  In the USA, there is in excess of 100 million homes that have air conditioning systems installed.  Obviously it is a climate factor that creates this difference as there a far fewer days in the UK where the temperature at home and in the workplace becomes uncomfortable.

Air Con in the Workplace

The difference is almost the same with workplace locations in the UK, with far fewer fully air con equipped offices and factories.  The UK can expect temperatures to average around the mid to low 20’s from June to September and sometimes earlier than this.  It is however worth considering that a recent study by NASA showed that productivity can fall by up to 3.6% for every degree that exceeds 22C in the workplace.

Beating the Heat at Work without Air Conditioning

Fans
Although fans can ultimately increase temperatures in a room, having air circulated can make the room feel more pleasant.

Use Cool Water
Wet towels and bandanas can create a cooling effect.

Work Downstairs where possible
Heat obviously rises, so where possible, work downstairs.

Use Blinds or Curtains
Some offices have a lot of windows, which creates a greenhouse effect once the suns rays begin to reflect upon the glass.  To prevent your office from heating up make sure the blinds or curtains are closed in the morning which will deflect the heat back out and slow down the office from heating up.

Invest in a mobile air con unit
Not as affective as a climate controlled office using purpose inbuilt air con units, it can help to invest in a small electrically operated air con unit that will help to stabilise the temperature of the room.  ensure that you purchase a machine that is suitable for the size of room required.