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One of the advantages of working from home versus being in the office is the end of the dreaded aircon wars. The colleague who likes it hot, or the other who prefers being in an igloo, the constant moaner or the random “the air is to dry” individual. No longer do you have to put up with anyone else you are the king of the thermostat. However, the central question for today’s blog is what is the best temperature for a home office?
The best temperature for a home office is 22.5 degrees Celsius (72.5 degrees Fahrenheit). The ideal temperature range for a home office is between 20-25 degrees Celsius (60-77degrees Fahrenheit). Your home office will need to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Now we know what the general consensus is but what exactly is the impact of having your thermostat set to really warm or cold temperatures? Let’s find out the chilling truth…..
(Now it’s worth mentioning that this post has a lot of information and so if you’re curious about the best equipment needed to work remotely simply go to my resource page here)
What is the best temperature for a home office?
My former boss once said to me:
“Whilst there are more obvious elements that can drastically impact an individual’s work rate or quality such as loss of Laptop or internet. A silent but deadly factor often overlooked or not giving proper consideration is the temperature of a room.”
Mate your boss sounds a tad dramatic, doesn’t he? Whilst at first, I thought the same I quickly understood what he meant.
There have been studies found that have the temperature too high or low can impact your productivity drastically but also worryingly make you sick.
A study carried out in 2005 called the Thermal Effects on Office Productivity observed 9 female workers who worked for an insurance company and observed them for 16 days. The purpose of the study was to investigate the link between office temperature and work productivity for people who work on desktops/laptops.
The results were really interesting:
| Temperature | Productivity at 15 min intervals | Error rate within the 15 min intervals |
| 25 Degrees Celsius | Continuous uninterrupted typing | Celsius Error rate at approx. 10% |
| 20 Degrees Celsius | Productivity approx. halved compared to the above | Increased by more than 100% compared to the previous error rate |
Whilst I concede the sample size was very small and also did not include men we cannot jump to any conclusions but it at the very least strengthens one notion – the temperature of a room can drastically impact one’s productivity and quality of work.
Another thing to consider is when the temperature of the room is enhanced by additional factors. For example, when employees have had a decent size lunch and the room is set to very warm the level of concentration drops significantly, so much so in some instances, they fall asleep!
The link between office temperature and productivity
There are also suggestions that when the room is too hot for an extended period it leads to migration for individuals who might not be hydrated for example.
Alternatively, for those sitting near or underneath an Aircon the constant changing of temperatures can often lead to the person becoming sick with flu-like symptoms.
Another unforeseen impact of the aircon wars is when the temperatures are significantly lowered and to warm up employees will make a hot drink 2 or times more than normal. This impacts time spent working but also disrupts your workflow consistently.
What is the Government’s input on this raging civil war?
So, President/Prime Minister I elected you to end the Aircon wars!
Whilst it is a common source of conversation in offices all around the globe, does it hold equal importance in the halls of lawmakers?
To start with have a look at the below to give you an idea of some countries Laws in relation to office Temperatures:
| Country | Minimum Requirement | Maximum Requirement |
| UK | No specific minimum however the Approved Code of Practice sets it at least 13C | No Maximum |
| USA | Recommended minimum 68 Fahrenheit | Recommended Maximum 78 Fahrenheit |
| Australia | Recommended 20C | Recommended 26C |
Whilst there are laws in all three countries that will intervene in the case of extreme temperatures – e.g. high heat that results in people becoming dizzy or becoming Nauseous or freezing temperatures that result in frostbit (ok I might be embellishing it but you get it). What is interesting is the law avoids committing to a minimum or maximum specific figures.
The reason for this is law appreciates the variations each office can have on what the “ideal” temperature is factors such as:
– Location
– Natural temperature
– Seasons
– Group of employees’ personal preferences
– Equipment being used or items stored
– Whether the job is traditional office desktop or more physical efforts e.g. loading unloading stock
All those variations can result in 1000s of different ideal temperatures. The UK Law is a good example of this, under the Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Act workplaces the expectation is:
“During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.”
Note it doesn’t specify a number and more interestingly uses the word “reasonable” reason for this is to allow business flexibility as per each unique requirement but also not hold them hostage to an individual’s complaint. If the general majority agree on a set temperature, then that is fine.
How to find your ideal home office temperature
Now back to your little corner and how to help maintain that ideal temperature.
The obvious starting point is to of course know the temperature that works best for you, so you can vary it slightly up or down till you find that sweet spot.
Once found you can then program the thermostat to maintain that sweet spot during the working hours, so as to avoid you constantly messing around with it.
A good idea I found is to nudge the thermostat either up or down by one degree over the course of a week and track things like your work activity – this way you will be able to see if you get more or less done in your home office.
Another option is to run a humidifier (link takes you to Amazon)to set the temperature back a degree or two. Also, Yes whilst I appreciate you are at home and don’t need to wear a suit or office-appropriate clothes it doesn’t mean work in your boxers!
Dress in line with the season, if it’s cold throws on a jumper or if it’s hot work in a T-shirt. These are simple things that can help manage the ideal working conditions. To read up more about this check out my blog post on how to get dressed when working from home.
Conclusion
Whilst it has become a running theme at many offices the importance of getting the temperature right can have a drastic impact on your productivity and health.
Since the pandemic, there has been a global shift to remote working and with that, I don’t doubt the market will start releasing items to help manage your comforts in the home office such as temperature control
A lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
The content on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decade worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.
