Energy saving measures may clash with respiratory safety, experts warn

Government plans to tackle the energy crisis this winter through workplace measures run the risk of clashing with policies designed to minimise the risk posed by respiratory infections, experts have warned.

Cutting office temperatures and telling staff not to spread out across different floors may save on energy costs but such moves could also increase the risk of spreading flu and Covid-19. If workers elect to close windows as the simplest means of keeping heat in a building on cold winter days, the risk of disease spread will be even higher.

Reducing room temperatures a little does not generally affect a person’s long-term well being, assuming they are young and healthy, according to Prof Ivan Perry of University College Cork’s school of public health.

“A bigger worry is that older people will starting cutting back on their fuel consumption in response to the blanket media coverage of the energy crisis,” he said.

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Prof Perry said cold can have subtle yet profound effects on the health of people in their 60s and older, in terms of heart attacks, stroke and other risks.

Adequate ventilation

The risk of infection from respiratory viruses could be raised through the implementation of measures aimed at cutting energy, he noted.

“You risk increasing the incidence of Covid and flu by confining people in smaller spaces or closing windows needed for adequate ventilation. There has to be a balance between the two aims.”

Anthony Staines, professor of health systems at Dublin City University, said “a few degrees either way is irrelevant for most people”.

“My concern would be for people, many of them older, who are living in houses that are already cold,” he said, adding that small children could also be vulnerable as much from damp as cold.

Infectious diseases specialist Prof Sam McConkey, of Beaumont Hospital, said there was a dearth of research into the impact on people’s health of lowering the thermostat, but some studies point to a reduction in productivity when the dial drops too low.

“Comfort is important, and so is productivity, which is one of the main determinants of national wealth, even in areas such as education and health,” he said. “Whatever about the impact of lower temperatures on your health, there’s no point in everyone being uncomfortable.”

One Indian study, for example, found that workers’ productivity fell when temperature were lower than 21 degrees.

“Irish buildings are not fit for purpose, from a cooling, insulation and heating aspect,” Prof McConkey said. “Opening and closing a window is often the default way of adjusting things.”

People’s perception of optimum room temperature can vary wildly. Most research points to 21 or 22 degrees being the ideal temperature for a work environment, but some studies have found women need a higher temperature – as much as 25 degrees.

Colder temperatures cause the muscles to tense, affect concentration and people’s moods.

Legally, employers are required to provide a minimum temperature of 16-17.5 degrees, depending on whether the employee is stationary or not.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is said to keep his conference room temperature at arctic levels – 15 degrees – in order to keep minds focused. In contrast, former US president Barack Obama kept the Oval Office so hot that an adviser joked “you could grow orchids in there”.