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Thermal comfort is defined in British Standard BS EN ISO 7730 as ‘that condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.’ Therefore to have ‘thermal comfort’, is a psychological term meaning that a person is neither too cold or too warm.

In general, within a typical UK office environment, there is relatively little change in humidity and air movement, and so the most critical factor becomes the ambient air temperature. Getting this right can feel like an ongoing battle for both employers and staff as every individual has a different comfort level. In addition to personal preferences, each individual’s comfort zone may differ slightly each day, depending on their choice of clothing.

In the workplace, getting the temperature correct goes beyond just comfort though: if the office is too hot, the occupants may feel tired and drowsy and productivity is reduced. So if minor temperature changes can have this impact then major temperature changes, in the event of a dramatic heat wave or broken or faulty air conditioning can cause stress, anxiety and in some cases even effect safety.

What is an acceptable workplace temperature in the UK?
The Health & Safety Executive give guidelines of defined thermal comfort in the workplace, as somewhere between 13°C (56°F) and 30°C (86°F), with strenuous activities being towards the lower end and more sedentary activities towards the higher. However, with a focus on the office-environment, the British Council for Offices regards somewhere in the range of 21-23°C (69-73°F) in summertime as reasonable.

Relative humidity should be kept at around 50% – too high and the office will feel stuffy and too low dries out the skin and eyes and also causes electrostatic charge on both office equipment and its users. The minimum fresh-air rate should be 10 litres per second per person and the optimum air movement should be 0.1-0.5 metres per second.

There are a number of things that employers and employees can do to improve thermal comfort during the summer months Some are ridiculously obvious such as removing layers of clothing, drinking plenty of water, eating lighter meals with more water content such as salads and fruit and using a desk fan to increase air movement.

However, an employer could also take action to:

* hire or buy air conditioning

* fit suitable anti-sun blinds to reduce the heating effects of the sun

* insulate any hot pipes or machinery to stop the heat radiating in to the office

* introduced flexi time to help avoid working or travelling to and from the office during times of peak temperatures

* relax the dress code

* allow outdoor meetings

* switch coffee breaks for ice-lolly breaks

* ensure all office equipment such as photocopiers, computers and lighting are switched off when not in use.

Due to the fact that is impossible to please all of the people, all of the time, the HSE has devised some sensible guidelines that suggest that the thermal comfort levels should ‘satisfy 80% of occupants’ at anyone time to be deemed ‘reasonable’.

These temperature and thermal comfort factors are of course all played out against a backdrop of global warming and increasing carbon emissions. A survey found that in the summer, increasing the recommended temperature in an office by 2º C in a building of 100,000 sq ft, could save six tonnes of carbon emissions in a year.

There is no real right or wrong in these situations – it is a very touchy-feely area for employers and employees to get right. Very few office places of work can successfully manage without air conditioning but make sure the office manager has a good handle on how to operate the system and use it in conjunction with the other hints and tips to maximise efficiency, keep costs to a minimum and keep a smile on everyone’s faces no matter what the temperature is outside.

Xbox 360 Care Guide / Tips

If you want to enjoy gaming on your Xbox 360 for a long time, it’s essential you take care of it well.

Follow my Xbox 360 Care Guide below and do the same for your Xbox 360, so that you minimize your risk of paying money for repairs.

Xbox 360 Console Location

1. Place your Xbox 360 in a clear, open space.

2. Do not place your Xbox 360 console in the area below:

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You may purchase a wall mounted oscillating fan but you will find that because they are wall mounted, they tend to not have the 120 degree side to side oscillation that you may be seeking, though some few fans have been specifically engineered to offer you this much oscillation. These types of models tend to be rather expensive, thus the wall mounted oscillating fan will usually oscillate 90 degrees although if that feature is of supreme importance to you, you should check with the manufacturer prior to purchase.

A wall mounted oscillating fan will ordinarily come in a plethora of colors and styles, from the commercial fan that is made of durable metal with a tight metal grid to prevent injury such as what’s is seen in schools, to designer types which are often made of plastic including plastic fan blades that may actually come as see through blades or be colored to match the rest of the fan. These fans will come in designer colors too, such as Ivory, Dark Brown, Forest Green, Nickel or Chrome. You may also find them in Aqua, Grey, Turquoise, Dark Blue and even in various wrinkled finishes in paint or an industrial white powder coat finish. Or, you may opt for a very sophisticated textured bronze finish Naturally fans of almost any color can now be produced in plastic

Many commercial oscillating fans will have a three position ratchet setting in order to direct the desired airflow into the room when that fan happens to be mounted close to a corner. This is the same reason why a wall mounted oscillating fan usually has to capability of being locked into a non-oscillating position.

There is a possibility that a oscillating fan will have a remote control to run it, although many of the earlier ones did not have this feature. The newer ones seem to be offering that element though.

In dining areas, many people prefer oscillating fan as opposed to a ceiling fan, as it will not blow down directly on your food cooling it off prematurely. Of course having a wall-mounted fan also means that you save on precious floor space and never have electric cords laying around to trip you up either.

Of course most wall mounted oscillating fans have an adjustment for angling them down, however many people need to adjust their fan changing the range of oscillation from a dead center position to the left or to the right to some extent. If you will investigate the schematics included with your fan you may often find another screw that enables this kind of adjustment. After loosening it to some extent, you can usually move the fan to the left or right, until you hear a ratchet-click, then you may tighten said screw.

Today you even have an indoor/outdoor wall mounted oscillating fan available. They are waterproof and thus are UL certified for specific use outdoors.