No, it’s not just you –it is cold inside your office. Inconsistent from one space to another, the office temperature fluctuates wildly, leaving you to sit in a freezing room, while other co-workers are nice and warm. With the winter season in full swing and El Nino dumping rain, it’s little wonder why you’re left shivering at work. What’s more, it’s probably been like this for some time. Ever-since you signed the lease and started growing your business, while the office is spacious enough, it’s just not as comfortable. Well, the good news is, there are ways to keep you and your office warm during the winter.
Ways to Keep Your Office Warm during Winter
If your office is cold in the winter, it’s probably not because you’ve turned off the heat or that you haven’t set the thermostat to the right temperature. Chances are excellent you do what you can to keep the space comfortable for you and your employees. There are a number of reasons an office feels cold during the winter months, for instance, insulation. It’s not uncommon for cold air to contract objects and let chilly air seep inside. Door weatherstripping and window caulking are key to keeping the cold away.
Winter is [here], when the annual battle to keep warm during the coldest months of the year begins. If you’re lucky enough to work in a climate-controlled environment or in warmer temperatures, cold weather may seem like a foreign nuisance. But for thousands of us, managing the cold is a harsh reality. —Occupational Health and Safety Magazine
Insulation in the walls and ceiling can also be inadequate, not being sufficient enough to perform its main function: insulate or separate the outside air and moisture from the inside air and moisture. Improperly placed ductwork or leaky ductwork can also be a culprit. When ductwork isn’t placed strategically, it cannot effectively deliver warm or cold air inside an office. Of course, if leaks are present, the same holds true. Regardless of the reason, if you want to stay warm at work in the winter, try the following suggestions:
- Layer your clothing. Okay, so you’ve seen this bit of advice before, but, are you actually layering your clothing? This little trick allows you to incrementally shed one layer after another when acclimating to the inside temperature. What’s more, it also allows you to retain as many layers as you need to stay warm.
- Drink warm or hot beverages. Hot tea, hot chocolate, and coffee are all ways to warm yourself from the inside. You can also bring a vacuum flask (read: thermos), filled with hot soup to enjoy while you work and get the same effect.
- Keep hand and foot warmers handy. Hand and foot warmers are great ways to keep you warm when it’s too cold at work. You place hand warmers in your pockets and foot warmers in the soles of your shoes to keep you comfortable.
- Take time to exercise during your break or lunch. A cold office is a really good motivator to getting a little exercise during the course of your day. You can choose an isolated space and do some calisthenics or other types of exercise to get your blood flowing.
- Have your commercial heating and cooling unit serviced. If you really want to keep your office warm and cozy, you’ll go right to the source of the problem and have your commercial heat and cooling unit serviced.
In addition to these suggestions, it also might be time to replace your commercial HVAC unit. Any heating and cooling system that’s 10 years of age or older functions at a lower capacity and wastes energy, which inflates utility bills. If your office is cold even when the heat is on, you can learn why by having a licensed and experienced commercial HVAC technician inspect your system.
