Archive for the ‘Surveys’ Category

Air conditioning ‘increases productivity’ in the workplace

Thursday, October 14th, 2010, by Richard Salmon

Scientists have agreed that the temperature and humidity at the workplace has a direct impact on the productivity of employees.
If the room is too hot, employees are more likely to feel sleepy and their concentration level drops dramatically. On the other hand, very low temperature leads to illnesses and complaints. In order to keep your employees awake and focused longer, the room should be cooled to the temperature around 20 or 21 degrees.

However, not every air conditioner meets the basic requirements and may be unsuitable for the office with regards to the size or functions. As employers are responsible for the health of their staff, it is important for them to choose the air conditioning carefully.

As we specialise in air conditioning maintenance and portable air conditioning, here are some valuable tips on how to choose the right air conditioner for your office.

Type
Portable, fitted, cooler, fan; there are many types you can pick from. The important thing you need to consider is how, where and for how long you want to use it. If you need a temporary cooling system, you can just hire one for a limited period and save money.

Size
Contrary to the common belief, bigger is not necessarily better. Oversized air conditioning unit may consume more energy than it actually needs, which will reflect on your next bill. Nevertheless, if the unit is too small it will not be able to cool the room properly. The best thing to do is to seek an advice of a specialist.

Maintenance
A lot of people neglect the maintenance and thus considerably shorten the air conditioning’s lifespan, not talking about increasing its consumption of energy. Professional maintenance not only saves you money but also makes sure the unit works well for longer period of time.

Sharp Drop In Temperature Linked To Heart Failure

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010, by Richard Salmon

We hear about ‘medical breakthroughs’ all the time yet this one caught our eye which we noticed in Reuters news, especially as winter approaches fast and we send our fans for a routine air conditioning service in readiness for spring. British research has shown that  when temperatures dropped just one degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) on a given day, there were an additional 200 heart attacks in the UK over the next month.

Neither flu nor air pollution could explain the association, according to the British Medical Journal.

“As it gets colder, think about limiting the time outside,” said researcher and doctoral student Krishnan Bhaskaran, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Elderly people and those with heart disease were at highest risk and should pay extra attention to their clothing if they plan to spend time in wintry weather.”

It isn’t particularly clear from the data how lower temperatures would trigger heart attacks though boffins have suggested that cooling could increase blood clotting and make the blood thicker, or increase blood pressure.

Based on hospital records for more than 84,000 people who had suffered heart attacks, they calculated that every one-degree temperature drop on a given day was linked to a two percent risk increase over the next month. So with 146,000 heart attacks every year in the UK, just a few degrees of cold would equate to several hundred extra cases.

Great! With such er

Air Con Is ‘Most Wanted’ In-Car Feature

Friday, August 27th, 2010, by Richard Salmon

According to a recent survey, air conditioning is the in-car feature topping the most-wanted list of motorists around the UK, despite the country’s unreliable climate.

The figures emanate from a report put together by ExchangeandMart.co.uk and suggests that a mammoth 81% of people class air-con as essential and would name it as a decisive factor when purchasing a new car.  

In contrast, 67% said a TV or DVD player for passengers isn’t important at all and 58% say the same about sub woofers.

Commenting on the poll, Michael Tang, Marketing Communications Manager at Exchange and Mart, said: “Our survey shows that motorists value practical features the most. When we asked respondents to name the essential items, air conditioning was the clear winner with 81% agreeing, followed by alarms and immobilisers with 68%. In contrast, TV/DVD players and sub woofers were only crucial to 9%.”

In Europe, air conditioning in vehicles is exhibiting the biggest growth, over the last 10 years going from close to zero to a 95 per cent prevalence. Does that mean the other 5% are left pointing fans at themselves or other types of portable air conditioning?

A/C does, of course, slightly add to fuel consumption though having the windows open would also increase wind resistance which can add up to 10% to your fuel consumption, especially at speed.

For an air conditioning service for your car, office or home, contact Airconco today.