By merely adjusting the acceptable temperatures in office buildings by a few degrees, quite a lot of energy can be saved in heating and cooling costs. Governor Kempthorne's Executive Order calls for thermostats to be set to 74-78 degrees in summer months, and 68-70 degrees in winter months. The savings from this change can vary substantially due to weather conditions and other factors. It is estimated that holding thermostats to these temperature ranges will decrease electrical and gas usage by 5% or approximately $50,000 per year!
As you know from working in an office environment, there will always be fluctuations in temperature, and different areas exhibit different ambient temperatures than others. In winter, middle of areas will be warmer than edges, particularly if an office is bordered by windows.
As individuals, how we dress has a lot to do with personal comfort. No
matter what level the temperature is set, there will always be some who tend to
be warmer, or cooler, than others in the same area. If you know that you
tend to feel the cool more than others, then try to dress more warmly in colder
months. Similarly, dress in cool clothing in summer months if you are more
prone to feel over-warm.
If you elect to use a personal space heater, heated mats are much more energy
efficient than convection or forced-air style heaters, and are much safer as
well.
Heated mats use between 200 and 500 watts of electricity, while other heaters us
as much as 1500 watts. Some space heaters can become very hot, and pose a
risk of fire, while heated mats are safe to use in an office environment.
For more information regarding this page, please email the Facilities Management or call 208.332.1900.
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