How to properly set your air conditioner

Tips to help you enjoy the best thermal comfort

No matter where you are – at home, at the office or in shopping centres – your thermal comfort lies at the base of everything you do. But what happens if it’s too hot? Or too cold? A few degrees more or a few degrees less can actually have a substantial impact on your body, mind and soul. That’s why it’s important to properly set your air conditioner so that your body reaches the desired comfort. Just like medications, there are some “side effects” of living in the wrong temperature.

Comfort – one word says it all. We are fortunate enough to live in the era of comfort; we drive comfortable cars, we live in comfortable homes, we prefer comfortable climates and the list can continue further. Regarding our thermal comfort, air conditioners are the technology we can (probably) not live without if we think of the hot long Aussie summers.

1) Temperature can affect your health

There is a very popular theory that moving from hot to cold environments (or vice versa) can cause you to get sick. You probably heard this from your protective friends or from one of your office fellows that were always irritated by the low office temperature set during summer. In reality, this proves to be more like a myth rather than a fact. As long as you are properly dressed for any environment, the transitions won’t make you any harm.

There are, however, some situations when unusual temperatures can have an impact on your health. For instance, if you constantly live or work in a room that is too warm, the air can become too stuffy, which may affect your sinuses or lead to respiratory issues. On the other hand, setting your air con to lower temperatures will not only cause irritated mucous membranes but it may also make you more vulnerable to viruses.

2) Your focus can be affected by the temperature

Now, this is something your manager would probably not understand as being the cause of an unfinished or unsuccessful project. But let us investigate a little….

The temperature really is the cause of one of the biggest office conflicts. If some employees may find it too cold to concentrate is because their thermostat centre – the hypothalamus – is wasting extra energy just to generate body heat, not leaving too much room for performance. But warmer environments aren’t ideal either if we take into consideration technical teams who need to stay alert and use their analytical thinking.

While finding an ideal temperature for everyone is not really possible, it is generally accepted that the best temperature range to boost productivity is between 20-24°C during winter and 23°-26°C during summer.

3) Temperature can affect your sleep

We can definitely agree on this one as there was (at least) one night we felt it on our own skin…or sleep. Along with common causes like stress or bad eating habits, temperature lines up to win the “insomnia” race.

We highly recommend adjusting the thermostat according to the day-night cycle as our body doesn’t need that much heat when we sleep. Despite the fact that the “ideal temperature” may vary from a person to another, find the temperature that is just right for you to enjoy many hours of uninterrupted and comfortable sleep.

Contact Jaric Electrical for advice on saving money at home

Though it may look like a small difference in temperature, it may have a big impact on your wellbeing. At the end of the day, comfort matters most! Call Jaric Electrical on 1300 452 742 or contact us online.