Commentary: The cold reality of Singapore's offices even as the nation hits record-high temperatures

SINGAPORE: Sitting comfortably in my work-from-home office, I started a conversation on Zoom with my client. Then, I had to stop. “The office is freezing,” he said. “I have to get a jacket.”

That experience is quite common. Many employees keep a jacket or a jumper in the office because it is often so cold. Head to a hotel and it can seem worse, with conference attendees bundled up to stay warm. 

TEMPERATURES IN SINGAPORE

Singapore is well-known for being hot all year round. In May, the mercury rose to 37 degrees Celsius in Ang Mo Kio, equalling a 40-year record for the highest daily maximum temperature. 

In light of rising temperatures, Singapore on Monday (Jul 24) launched a national heat stress advisory to help people gauge the risks when they undertake outdoor activities. 

Even as people swelter outdoors and are advised to take protective action, some are bundling up indoors to stave off the cold. 

The environment in office buildings and hotels is so important that there have been a variety of studies to analyse temperature and humidity, both of which affect how people feel, and the impact on office workers.

One study by researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University, for example, found that office temperatures in Singapore average about 23 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius. They also found, however, that people feel most comfortable when the temperature is about 24.8 degrees Celsius. More than two-thirds of office workers had to put on more clothes to continue working in the office and one-third felt effects such as fatigue.

Researchers from Waseda University similarly found that average indoor temperatures were below 24 degrees Celsius and more than 30 per cent of occupants reported symptoms related to coldness when the temperature fell below 24.5 degrees Celsius. Indoor environments in offices in hot and humid climate regions of Asia are overcooled by air-conditioning, they opined. 

If people feel so cold, it’s easy to wonder why temperatures are kept so low. One reason may be historical. As air-conditioning made its way into Singapore, ''shopping and dining in air-conditioned buildings became a mark of upward mobility. Escaping into AC was a way of escaping your past as a poor country", Chua Beng Huat, a sociology professor at the National University of Singapore, told the New York Times in 2002. 

TOO COLD TO THINK

So, what is the actual effect on people when temperatures are too cold? More than just discomfort, it affects peoples’ efficiency and health. 

In one study, the BBC noted, clerks in an insurance office typed non-stop with an error rate of just 10 per cent when the temperature was 25 degrees Celsius. When the temperature dropped five degrees, they were half as productive and the number of mistakes more than doubled. 

The Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers found more people have symptoms such as runny noses or sore throats when temperatures are 21 to 22 degrees Celsius. At 25 to 26 degrees Celsius, symptoms largely disappear. 

And those effects can be worse for women. Women have lower metabolic rates than men, Boris Kingma from Maastricht University Medical Center noted, and prefer offices to be 3 degrees Celsius warmer.

Beyond its impact on health, air-conditioning also causes greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings account for more than 20 per cent of Singapore’s emissions, and more than a third of the country's electricity consumption. A typical office in Singapore expends 60 per cent of its energy on cooling, according to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

The World Economic Forum has estimated that emissions from air-conditioning alone could account for as much as a 0.5 degree Celsius increase in global warming by 2100.

It’s a vicious cycle. The hotter it gets, the more energy office buildings use on their air conditioning. And the more they turn on their air-conditioner, the warmer cities get. 

SOLUTIONS ARE POSSIBLE

Many people feel intuitively they will be healthier and accomplish more if temperatures are more comfortable. The research backs them up. Singapore can achieve its net zero goals faster if temperatures in buildings go up a bit too. 

Yet change may be difficult. There are concerns that changing the behaviour of landlords and tenants could be the biggest hurdle. NUS assistant professor Clayton Miller told Eco-Business that there are many underused green building technologies, including innovative cooling. "Too many decision-makers want to play it safe and stick with conventional systems.”

Fortunately, a multitude of initiatives are underway to overcome hindrances to action. Since the early 2000s, for instance, the Garden City Action Committee has pushed for green buildings, which can reduce utility expenses and Singapore’s carbon footprint. The BCA has established a green mark for new buildings.

SP Digital created Green Energy Tech (GET) TenantCare, an automated submetering solution that gives tenants and landlords visibility of their utilities consumption. GET Engaged provides a digital dashboard which, when displayed in lobbies, could spur tenants to make more sustainable choices.

The Sustainability in Singapore programme, launched in 2021, trains staff to be green ambassadors so they can run campaigns to make it easy and fun for people to make their organisation more sustainable.

Despite these and other initiatives to encourage change, though, many programmes seem to receive little publicity. 

Guidelines from policymakers could help too. While NEA has told homeowners it recommends setting the temperature at 25 degrees Celsius or higher, equivalent guidance for offices or hotels could help. Japan provides an example of how a push from government could work. Most companies follow the annual Cool Biz campaign, which encourages office workers to ditch their suits for short-sleeved shirts and suggests office air-conditioners be set at 28 degrees Celsius during the hot summer months.  

While Lee Kuan Yew’s famous statement that "Air-conditioning was a most important invention for us” resonates even today, people and the planet can benefit from changing how it is used. Programmes, publicity and policies can make a huge difference. And workers can play a role, whether as part of an ambassador programme or urging change in their office.

While it won’t solve every problem, setting temperatures higher can make workers healthier, increase productivity and help save the planet. No more running off to get jackets. 

Richard Hartung is a freelance writer who has resided in Singapore since 1992 and covers a wide range of local and international news.