The cons of air-con in Singapore

Thermostat levels set too low waste energy and money; cause discomfort
Victoria Vaughan Straits Times 24 Apr 10;

WINTER in Britain is a cold, wet, dark, miserable affair.

It was winter two years ago when I decided to move to Singapore.

My head was filled with endless days of sunshine as Singapore's average temperature ranges from 24 to 31 deg C, compared to the average winter range of 3 to 7.5 deg C in Britain.

Farewell jumpers, scarves, hats and gloves, and hello heat.

A foolish assumption for I had not factored in the 'air-con' phenomenon.

The guidelines for building owners say that the thermostat should be set between 22.5 and 25.5 deg C, for both comfort and energy saving.

But I cannot believe that all are sticking to the rules - there have been repeated calls for a law on air-conditioning levels by Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng, who asked for public buildings to set the air-con at 24 deg C 'not just to save money' but 'to tread as lightly as we can upon the earth's surface'.

Speaking on March 8 in Parliament, he said: 'There is a heatwave in Singapore at the moment, but pop into any office along Raffles Place and it is winter time.

'What is the matter with us? We can build two resorts in a few years, but we cannot turn the air-conditioning down.'

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, replied that guidelines should be followed. He also added that 12 out of 56 public sector buildings which had carried out energy audits had saved $3 million. As much of the energy in an average building goes to powering air-con, it is easy to see where those savings came from. A law is not likely to be forthcoming, though.

The Sustainable Singapore website calls it a 'waste of energy' to overcool buildings. Additionally, 'building occupants may experience discomfort from low indoor temperatures', it added.

I have to agree that I have experienced first-hand discomfort at arctic air-con temperatures.

In the first office I worked at in the Central Business District, it was not an unusual sight to see colleagues parading around in ski jackets.

I hastily dug out jumpers and made a mercy dash to Ikea for a blanket.

I pleaded with the building security guard to raise the air-con to a higher temperature but 'Cannot! It's centrally controlled!' was the immovable reply.

I sat like a granny (or should I say auntie) in my cubicle, shivering the days away until I remembered the portable heater I had failed to sell before I left for warmer climes and had brought along to Singapore.

I never thought I would have to use it again. It was buried beneath packing boxes in a forgotten corner of my home.

But I dug it out and carted it into office early one morning, plugged it in under my desk and soaked up the heat, feeling somewhat guilty as my colleagues remarked on how nice and warm it was around my desk.

I admit I am somewhat of a reptile - a cold-blooded creature who craves the warmth, but I am not alone in my disappointment at the big air-con freeze.

As a journalist, I am often at conferences with delegates from overseas who remark on how disappointing and ridiculous it is to be stuck in winter woolies when it is 31 deg C outside.

It is not just an expat thing, although we may have the greater distress at having to dust off the winter wear and part with cash for coats near the equator. My Singaporean friends also agree that the air-con is too chilly in places.

There was a flurry of letters to The Straits Times forum in February following a colleague's column about air-con aversion.

Alaskan Loren Howerter wrote that despite the minus 40 deg C temperatures of her old home, she often found herself 'uncomfortably cold' in Singapore and forgoes the cinema if she has forgotten her jacket.

When I head to the cinema, preparations are extensive - it is crucial to remember not only my spectacles, but also my dedicated fluffy cinema socks, leggings or jeans and hoodie with pocket for my hands, lest I ruin the experience by freezing.

A restaurant meal was narrowly rescued by an enterprising maitre d', who bought me two rugs as I almost left due to freezing conditions. No matter how long I live here, I still seem to be lulled into a false sense of security by the warmth of the outdoors and forget to cart a jumper everywhere I go.

Aside from the personal issues I have with the cold, air-cons are one of the biggest drains on the finances of businesses.

For example, it accounts for a whopping 70 per cent of the Singapore Expo's power bill.

Upping the temperature by a degree can save companies up to 3 per cent on their air-con bills. This would equate to savings of $20 million to $26 million if all companies here got on board.

The National Environment Agency says that if the home air-con is set at 25 deg C, every degree raised above that results in savings of $20 a year. With 1,119,000 homes in Singapore, a raise of one degree could result in annual energy savings of $22.3 million.

In these days of climate change awareness, shouldn't raising air-con temperatures be an obvious energy-saving manoeuvre?

When I asked major organisations what their buildings' air-con temperatures were, those who got back to me, such as Raffles City Convention Centre, Sheraton Towers Hotel, Singapore Expo and Ritz-Carlton Hotel, all vehemently swore that it was set at 22 to 23 deg C - which is in line with the guidelines.

The Intercontinental Singapore operates with two air-conditioning chillers from 10.30am, turning one off at 11pm on normal days, and at 9pm on weekends and public holidays. Singapore Expo increases the air-con temperature slightly on cooler rainy days, and according to crowd levels.

Incidentally, Wikipedia describes the temperature range of 21 to 25 deg C as being that of 'general human comfort'.

So these temperatures should not be making me shiver so.

I appreciate that without some level of air-con, working, or even just shopping, would be unbearable on some days.

But perhaps there could be a compromise for a rise of a degree or two, to save not just the environment, but also money for the building owners.

When that happens, and I still find a need for my shawl, then I'll accept that when it comes to air-con, it's really just me.