Earlier Cornell research, published by the university in November 2004, explains the findings in economic terms. Led by Alan Hedge, PhD CPE, the research found that when office temperatures went from 77 degrees to 68 degrees, workers typed only half as much and made more than twice as many errors. He estimated the decreased productivity resulted in a 10 percent increase in labor costs per affected worker.

Some 240 newspapers and many radio and television networks leaped on the Cornell findings, alacrity that indicates the scale of the thermostat problem. Interviewed for the Knight Ridder News Service about the study, Professor Hedge explained that it clearly struck a chord.

A host of factors complicate the quest for ambient comfort. For a start, people experience temperature differently. The number of occupants governs the temperature of a room and even the whole building. And the time of day is a factor. Idiosyncrasies in the construction of a building can also defy the thermostat, creating hot and cold spots in a room or an area.

Air conditioning falls down ergonomically when it doesn’t address these factors, and when it forces individuals to adapt to the system: ergonomists maintain that the system should adapt to the individual.

Writing in March 2004 for The Ergonomics Report™ ergonomicsreport.com, Professor Hedge stressed that ergonomics is always a benefit for companies. Employers who insist on a return on their investments will be able to justify the cost of implementing an ergonomics program, he explained.

In the news service interview he said companies need to do a better job of managing cooling and heating systems, and the ultimate goal is to have a balanced temperature at all times in every corner of the building.

"What we’d like to encourage companies to do is allow the building to warm up a couple of degrees, and have people wear short sleeves, he said. That’s preferable to paying too much to cool a building down.

The Cornell researchers explored the clothing issue using naked subjects working at different levels of activity. The results led them to believe clothing choices for work matter more than people might think, according to Professor Hedge.

Women tend to wear lighter clothing and open toe shoes, he explained. Covering up toes could help a great deal. Air vents expel air from the top and the air travels down to the feet and ankles, making uncovered feet particularly susceptible to cold.

Newspapers that headlined the Cornell research ran it with reports from readers who were obliged to find novel ways of beat the air conditioning chill. The results of the Cornell research could persuade more employers to introduce ergonomic solutions to the thermostat problem as a way to increase productivity. And local charities could benefit from the influx space heaters, hot water bottles, long johns, woolly socks, mittens and or items previously indispensable to their employees.

Sources: Knight Ridder News Service; The Ergonomics Report™