How to Keep Your Office Cool in Summer

In the summer months here in the UK, you can always expect the temperature to increase a little. We occasionally see heatwaves, but over the past few decades, the average summer temperature has been getting higher, with nine out of ten of the UK’s hottest days (since records began) being recorded since 1990.

This, combined with a lack of adequate ventilation and cooling in many older buildings, has made for uncomfortable summers for staff in offices and commercial buildings. That’s why, this month at Solo Blinds, we’re going to take a look at some tips for keeping the office cool in summer.
But first, let’s get a bit of perspective on why these tips would be worth considering in the first place.

The benefits of a cool office in summer

There are so many benefits to keeping your office cool during the sweltering temperatures we can see in summer, but here are the top five:

1. Staff are more productive – As you can imagine, it becomes hard to focus when you’re feeling the heat. When it gets too warm, staff will undoubtedly slow down both physically and mentally to compensate, so keeping your office cool can help to keep productivity levels high.

2. Prevents equipment overheating – Whether you have lots of computers, a printer, a server room or other electronic equipment you rely on, the heat can impact these items, preventing vital work from being done and increasing downtime while you wait for repairs or replacements. Keeping the temperature down can therefore aid in keeping operations moving.

3. It’s safer for staff – We’ve already mentioned increased productivity, but more important is the health of your staff. Increased heat can mean an increased risk of exhaustion and fainting, something that can be distressing but could also have a long-term impact on anyone with pre-existing medical conditions.

4. Staff want to come into the office – If you’re trying to encourage staff back into the office, a great way to do this is to provide a cool environment in which to work. Most employees, because of how homes are built to retain heat, won’t have adequate cooling and could be tempted back to the office in summer.

5. Reduced smells – Unpleasant odours can make a working environment unbearable at the best of times, but with multiple bodies in one confined space, it’s more important than ever to keep the temperature down. Food, body odour and smells from chemicals or equipment can all be made worse by the heat, so it’s worth the extra effort to avoid this becoming an issue.

Tips for keeping the office cool in summer

Now let’s look at some of the ways you can keep your office cool in the summer. Many of these are simple additions and can even help to improve the look of your space, further boosting morale and confidence within your business.

Blinds – First and foremost, get the right commercial blinds for your space. This can help to block out direct sunlight or filter it depending on the time of the day and the positioning of your windows. Whether that’s vertical blinds to aid in filtration and cooling, or blackout blinds for the ultimate way to block out the sun and any glare on screens, there is a blind to suit any space.

The use of blinds is just as important, keeping the blinds closed will help keep the heat out of the room, and the use of lighter colour fabrics and fabrics with a reflective coating on the back will improve this effect significantly more, too.

Shutters – While blinds are common in many office spaces, you may not have given any thought to the idea of shutters, but ignore them and you’ll be missing out. Shutters were originally designed to help homes stay cool during the heat of the midday sun, so it stands to reason that shutters for a commercial or office space could be both practical and stylish for your building.

Fans – A fairly obvious addition to any working space is a good fan – or several! – but did you know that most of the time a fan will simply be moving hot air around the room without any additional ventilation in place? The advice is that, if the temperature is even slightly cooler outside, then you should position the fan by the window to blow outwards. This removes warm air from the room to help lower the temperature.

Plants – Often overlooked as a way of keeping a space cool, large, leafy plants are ideal. Not only do they provide shade, but they also improve air quality. This shouldn’t come as a surprise though, given that we see these dual benefits in the outdoors all the time — a tree-lined street is always cooler than one without any foliage.

Window Film – If you want to reduce glare and the intensity of the sun’s rays in your office but have large windows or multiple floors to cover, why not consider window film? It’s a great way to control lighting without blocking it out completely and can help with thermal efficiency.

Here at Solo Blinds, we have a wide range of blinds for offices and other commercial spaces to keep you cool this summer and for future heatwaves. We offer stylish choices, professional fitting and we can even install window film as a cost-effective alternative where preferred. 

Wherever you are in Cramlington, Ashington, Morpeth, Blyth or the surrounding areas, let our family-run business keep you cool. Call today for a free site visit and quote and we’ll be happy to help.