9 May 2024
Hey there, EcoChampions! 🌎
It’s official: April was the hottest month on record and the eleventh consecutive month of record heat.
It was also 1.58C warmer than the estimated average for pre-industrial levels, meaning we’ve already crossed the ideal 2025 level outlined in the Paris Agreement.
Like the planet, you might already be feeling the heat in your workplace.
This week in VyraNews, we’ll discuss the necessary procedures to help you cool down your office and keep your team happy as the warm summer months approach.
But first, let’s look at the UK’s heat patterns in recent years.
In 2022, the UK recorded its hottest year in recent history, and then 2023 became the second hottest year in history. Noticing a pattern?
The average global temperature for 2024 is forecasted to be 1.46 °C above the average for the pre-industrial period.
This will make 2024 even warmer than previous years, likely breaking the 2022 record.
What are heat waves, and when are they?
The Met Office classifies heat waves as periods of 72 hours or more when the daily maximum temperature is above the heatwave temperature threshold.
This threshold, which varies by area, is between 25°C and 28°C in the UK.
Historically, July and August tend to experience the warmest temperatures in the UK.
However, the start of June 2023 was the hottest on record and September 2023 saw a significant heat wave, which suggests that warmer temperatures are spreading to other months.
So, what does this have to do with your business?
As global temperatures continue to break records, the implications for your business are profound, particularly in terms of employee well-being and productivity. Elevated workplace temperatures can lead to various health issues, from dizziness and heat cramps to more severe effects like delirium or heat stroke. Such conditions not only diminish employee satisfaction but also significantly reduce productivity.
Older individuals and those with certain medical conditions are more susceptible to the dangers of heat waves. Implementing sustainable cooling strategies that positively impact the planet and community will give you an advantage as the climate crisis worsens.
As heating and cooling produce significant emissions, the topic merits prominent attention in any net-zero plan.
5 sustainable precautions you can take to combat heat in the workplace.
Sustainable cooling strategies differ by location, meaning tailored solutions are essential for each business.
However, here are several tips to assist you in transitioning to a more environmentally friendly cooling approach for your company.
1) Optimise natural cooling.
Air conditioning emits CO2 emissions and is a ‘maladaptive’ practice to reduce energy consumption.
While it protects people from overheating, it causes people to become solely dependent on air conditioning.
By adopting natural cooling practices, you can use simple techniques for combating heat while supporting the planet.
Natural cooling examples include:
Optimising shade to prevent sunlight from heating the office space.Opening windows during cooler hours of the day.Well-designed infrastructure, such as effective insulation to keep the heat out.
2) Minimise active cooling.
While increasing the use of natural cooling systems is essential, it is equally as important to minimise the use of active cooling systems. Anything that requires energy use is an active cooling system, which includes air conditioning and electric fans.
You can do this by turning off the air conditioning whenever possible or limiting active cooling to certain office areas (e.g. only where people are working).
3) Increase workplace flexibility.
On mild weather days, it can be beneficial to get your staff outside as it not only improves mental health but puts less of a strain on the cooling systems inside. Perhaps your workplace has picnic benches outside where you can host meetings. Maybe you even have a local park nearby to encourage daily walks in the shade.
Adjusting your work-from-home policy for days with extreme heat can also be beneficial. This is especially important in urban areas, which tend to face higher temperatures due to infrastructure that absorbs and re-emits heat. This is known as the urban heat island effect. The less people are exposed to extreme heat in urban areas, the more protected they are from illnesses and consequences that can come from the heat.
4) Adopt passive cooling techniques
Passive cooling is a way to manage the internal temperature and air quality of a building without using power.
This could include installing a green space on your building's roof, adding natural ventilation, or increasing shading infrastructure outside.
The increasing building regulations in the UK and EU further emphasise the need for passive cooling techniques to combat higher temperatures.
Businesses and residents must take proactive measures to decarbonise their buildings, and passive cooling is a way to achieve this and improve wellbeing.
5) Invest in low-carbon cooling systems
Technologies that utilise renewable energy are advanced and becoming more commonplace. Implementing solar air conditioners and solar refrigerators are great places to start when greening your workplace.
Another low-carbon cooling technique is free cooling technology, which uses low temperatures from surroundings (e.g., the sea, lake, river, or aquifers) as a cooling source.
Investing in these innovations now will only help you in the future when these technologies are not only common but required for businesses to reduce their emissions.
Implications
As record-breaking temperatures continue to soar, the need for businesses to implement sustainable cooling strategies becomes more urgent. April's record heat, surpassing the Paris Agreement's near-term threshold, highlights the necessity of prioritising employee comfort through eco-friendly cooling methods.
Businesses can effectively combat heat while supporting global climate goals by adopting natural and passive cooling techniques, reducing reliance on active cooling, and investing in low-carbon technologies. These measures are essential for maintaining productivity and environmental responsibility in an increasingly warm world.
What’s Next?
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