Is A Cold Office Sexist?–New Study Suggests It Is Also Bad For The Environment

A cold office could be sexist, according to a new study which suggests office comfort is geared towards male workers.

You see it in any setting. Women using winter sweaters, space heaters, and even blankets while sitting at their desks, while the guys seem perfectly comfortable. We finally have an explanation.

A group of researchers in the Netherlands decided to investigate why women don’t appreciate a cold office as much as men do. It’s simple really and for many, the same thing happens at home, where husbands tend to keep the house at a freezing temperature, while women prefer it milder.

According to the study, published in the Journal of Nature Climate Change, air conditioning systems in businesses are designed using an outdated 1960s formula that assumed the average office worker was a 40-year-old, 154-pound man. Despite what you may think, it’s not just about women’s discomfort, but these findings could be affecting climate change, the Maastricht University group says.

The scientists explain that, in general, men have a higher metabolic rates than women, and their findings suggest the air conditioning settings need to be reset to reflect the change in office population.

Women prefer rooms at about 77 degrees, while men prefer a nippy 72 degrees, according to Boris Kingma of the Maastricht University Medical Center.

“Indoor climate regulations are based on an empirical thermal comfort model that was developed in the 1960s. Standard values for one of its primary variables—metabolic rate—are based on an average male, and may overestimate female metabolic rate by up to 35 percent.”

The study also suggests the cold office settings don’t only keep women freezing, but can affect the climate and result in an exorbitant electric bill. It’s not only expensive to cool large office buildings, but those using space heaters also add to the cost.

“As the built environment is focusing more on design of energy-efficient buildings (for example, near-zero-energy buildings), we argue that indoor climate standards should accurately represent the thermal demand of all occupants.”

“Otherwise there is a great risk that occupants will adapt their behavior to optimize personal comfort, which may in turn nullify the effects of supposed energy-efficient designs.”

“Changing the way buildings are heated and cooled to account for gender differences could significantly cut energy consumption, and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Do you think cold office settings should be adjusted to make everyone comfortable?

[Image via Shutterstock]