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Many people know that dialing the thermostat down in the winter and dialing it up in the summer saves money (+/-3% savings for each degree) and cuts green house gasses and pollution. Now, we can add improved health and satisfaction to this list. In a study released today:
(Snips)
Furthermore, in summer, a variety of building-related symptoms such as headache,
fatigue, and difficulty concentrating were increased by over 50 percent in the
buildings kept below 73.4°F (23°C). These buildings, kept too cold for comfort
in summer, included almost half the buildings measured in summer. These symptoms
thus might be expected to decrease if buildings were air-conditioned less and
kept warmer in the summer.
In
winter, buildings with higher indoor temperatures (above 73.4°F, even though
that is near the middle of the recommended temperature range) were associated
with approximately 30 to 80 percent increases in building-related nose, eye, and
skin symptoms and also headache. This included more than half the buildings
measured in winter. These symptoms thus might decrease if buildings were kept
cooler in the winter.
“As we
look for ways to save energy, these results suggest a potential win-win
situation,” says Mendell. “Our findings suggest that energy efficiency and
keeping buildings healthy and comfortable for the occupants are not necessarily
in conflict. Less summer cooling in air-conditioned buildings and less winter
heating in heated buildings might reduce energy use in buildings substantially,
yet have health benefits for the occupants that we did not expect, and still
keep occupants as comfortable as before or even more comfortable.” |