Office Buildings Overcool Workspaces Above 100F, Wasting Energy
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10
Office Buildings Overcool Workspaces Above 100F, Wasting Energy
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10
Summary
Corporate office workers are enduring overly cold indoor temperatures even as summer heat waves push outdoor readings past 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Inefficient cooling systems and manipulated sensors or thermostats — more than the temperature setting itself — are driving the overcooling, wasting energy while leaving occupants uncomfortable.
New York City offices showed the mismatch during the pandemic: occupancy fell about 60% in 2020 from a year earlier, but energy use dropped only 14%, according to Urban Green Council.
The pattern underscores how office buildings remain major energy consumers, with heating, ventilation, lighting and cooling accounting for most of their power demand.