Let’s face it. People spend most of their breathing lives indoors. They say about 90% of the time. And the percentage may even be higher nowadays, given the torments of the pandemic. Now, if you’re working your office from home expanding your wedding planning business, or whatnot, you may have to brace yourself. With winter coming in, things could get ugly pretty fast. While the winter months bring in the yuletide season of celebration, it’s also the time when more people die compared to the rest of the year. And the time when your productivity dips.
So what are you to do to keep your home office functional? Well, if the enemy is the cold, then you had better get all the warmth you can get it inside. Right? From the onset, the plan seems simple enough. However, know that turning the heater on isn’t just the answer. The fact is you could be losing precious dollars when you do. That’s the reason why looking at your HVAC thoroughly could do wonders to your office life. Remember, productivity is the name of the game. Working without producing results is not working at all.
How the Cold can Kill Your Productivity
There’s a reason why bears hibernate during winter. As Yellowstone National Park Service data revealed, hibernating allows our big furry friends to adapt to a season short of food.
Of course, we all know that when the snow covers this side of the planet, every animal slows to a stop. But it’s not equal for everyone. To note, Mexican black bears hibernate for just a few weeks. On the other end, Alaskan bears do hibernate as long as 6 months.
As you will find out, the cold weather is also a productivity killer for you.
A study done at Cornell University showed that office workers are least effective when the thermostat is down. Headed by a psychological scientist named Alan Hedge, the findings pointed out that to keep productivity high the office temperature must be kept warm.
To do the study, the researchers observed for a span of 20 office days nine women working in an insurance company. Air samplers manned their workstations while software locked into their computers checked on their errors and typing speed.
Results pointed out that the women worked best when temperatures were lower. They attained 100% typing with just a 10% error when the mercury levels hit 77° F or 25° C. As the temperature dived, so did the typing. The worse part is typing errors peaked at 25%.
Hedge concluded that “The results of our study also suggest raising the temperature to a more comfortable thermal zone saves employers about $2 per worker, per hour.” Moreover, raising the temperature means companies can save more in terms of wage costs per hour.
So what does it all means for you? It means one thing. You are facing an uphill battle. As the mercury levels drop so does your productivity.
Keeping It All Together
While turning your heater on may be rational, it has its downsides. Why? Simply because you could be wasting precious energy making it work.
Government data shows you could lose hundreds of dollars due to energy loss. Think about your abode. Chances are there are holes in your system that will allow warm air to be lost. When warm air goes out, the temperature of your home office drops.
Warm air rises. If your roof vents have holes, out goes your precious energy. And with it, out goes your precious dollars. Drafty windows are another common source of energy loss. And further complicating things is the lousy distribution of warm air through your precious abode’s air ducts.
A good way for you to remedy the situation is to employ an air duct cleaning service. These are HVAC professionals that can help you maintain efficiency in your system.
First stop, unclean air ducts cause energy loss. Further, such a faulty distribution system can mean you’re breathing unclean air.
Know that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. That’s because any toxin inside may just be circulating around. When air ducts are cleaned, the professionals rids your home of mildew, fungi, smoke, and various toxins trapped inside.
Remember clean air means you’re promoting your health. And putting yourself out of harm’s way.
The cold winter can surely dampen your productivity. But that shouldn’t stop you from putting your name on the map. With tried-and-tested tips, finding great results working from home should be a walk in the park.
