Building Temperatures: Summer to Winter
As we transition almost immediately from summer to winter, it is important to understand that there are wide varieties of heating and cooling system types installed within the various campus buildings.
The types of systems installed within a building influence the overall comfort levels throughout each of the spaces within the building. Similarly, the types and location of building controls and control systems, such as thermostats, along with other variables such as the room exposure (north, south, east, west), the room internal heat sources (lights, people, computers, etc.), are all factors that have an impact on overall space, comfort, and temperature. For these reasons, there may be a temperature swing from the intended temperature policy heating and cooling set points.
Many of the campus buildings utilize heating and cooling systems that are of a “changeover” design, which allows the system to provide for either cooling or heating depending upon the season, but not both at the same time. The “changeover” design is a concern during the “transitional seasons”, as facilities management staff must manually change the operation of the building system from heating to cooling and vice versa. In some buildings, this process can take a few days. As this changeover process is time-consuming, the changeover schedule is set based on the building needs, outside air temperatures and anticipated weather forecasts.
The Facilities Maintenance and Operations Service Center at extension 2408 is a valuable resource for any questions about temperature guidelines or other maintenance/custodial issues.