NOAA predicts the "Mitten State" is going to see wetter-than-average weather conditions statewide for December through February. Part of the state is expected to have an increased chance of colder-than-normal temperatures.
Michiganders are in for a nasty slick winter & with that, comes the cold.
Bust out the beanies and gloves, be ready to bundle up!
With the cold comes issues for business owners, HR departments, and employees.
Cold wet conditions are in the forecast this 2022 / 2023 winter season [December - February] with Southwest Michigan seeing an increase of snow and ice compared to previous years.
Cold Offices Linked to Lower Productivity
Published August 7, 2015 by the Association For Psychological Science online
"...Cornell University psychological scientist Alan Hedge determined that workers are more efficient when they’re warm...women were significantly more productive when their office was kept at a warmer temperature.
At 77° F (25° C), the women were typing 100% of the time with a 10% error rate. But, when the temperature dipped to a cool 68° F (20° C), typing rates plummeted and error rates rose to 25%...comfortable thermal zone saves employers about $2 per worker, per hour,” says Hedge.
Overall, Hedge and colleagues estimated that companies could save up to 12.5% of their wage costs per worker by raising the temperature a few degrees...
A new study, published in Nature Climate Change, suggests that women’s average metabolic rate is 20 to 32 percent lower than this; a finding that helps explain why there’s so much grumbling about frigid offices." - PsycologyScience.Org
Study Shows Freezing Office Temperatures Affect Women's Productivity
MAY 26, 2019 | Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday
"...the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, took 543 German college students, put them in a room and made them take tests at different temperatures — ranging from as low as 61 degrees to as high as 91 degrees.
The study showed a difference in performance between men and women depending on the temperature.
As the temp went up, women did better on math and verbal tasks, and men did worse," Chang says. "And the increase for women in math and verbal tasks was much larger and more pronounced than the decrease in performance of men."
In other words, the warmer the room, the better the women did on the tests overall. Our research says that even if as a business you only care about profit and productivity, you should take the comfort of your workers into account, as it will affect the bottom line"
NPR's Audrey Nguyen and Lynn Kim produced and edited this story for broadcast. Wynne Davis produced it for digital - NPR.ORG
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) doesn't mandate employers to maintain specific temperatures in the workplace, but it recommends that employers keep the thermostat between 68℉ and 76℉.
Heating is usually the most significant energy cost in a workplace, accounting for up to 40% of energy use in a non-domestic building.
How can you save energy during different times of the day?
- Check to see what times of day and the week that rates are at their highest.
In the summer months, rates tend to be increased during business hours; winter times may see rate increases also which is one reason that office managers may keep temperatures lower while employees are at work.
"...new, voluntary plans that reward you for using less energy when energy demand and costs are at their highest. Unlike the Residential Standard plan, where you’re charged a fixed fee per kWh of electricity used, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Time of Use plans offer different electrical rates in different months, on different days of the week and at different times of day." - Consumers Energy Frequently Asked Questions
- Preventing heat loss through topping up insulation and blocking draughts can significantly reduce heating costs, so it's a good place to start improving energy efficiency.
- Find alternate options to high energy consuming office equipment.
LOCAL PLATINUM EPSON DEALER FOR SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN : LFW OFFICE SOLUTIONS 3800 WYNN ROAD KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN 269-888-2770 WWW.LFWOFFICESOLUTIONS.COM
Epson Inkjet Heat-Free Technology vs. Laser
Laser and inkjet printers may look the same on the outside, but it is what’s on the inside that counts.
Switching to Heat-Free Technology uses no heat in the ink ejection process and delivers low power consumption.
Laser Printing
Typically this is a complex process involving separate stages. It requires preheating the fuser, and again uses heat to fuse the toner to the paper.
Inkjet Printing
This method is comprised of only three stages to achieve a printout.
Epson Inkjet Heat-Free Technology vs. Thermal Inkjet
Within inkjet printers, there are two main technologies: thermal inkjet, which uses heat, and Piezo Inkjet, which is Heat-Free.
Thermal Inkjet
This technology applies an electrical current to warm the ink to fire it through the printhead.
Epson Heat-Free Technology
This does not require heat in the ink ejection process. Instead, pressure is applied to the Piezo element, which flexes backwards and forwards firing the ink from the printhead.
The Benefits of Heat-Free Technology
Save time with consistent
high-speed printing
Heat-Free Technology requires no heat to warm up when it is switched on or awoken from sleep. This means printing starts immediately.
Low power consumption saves energy and money
Heat-Free Technology has low power consumption because it does not use heat to warm up. Inkjets have no fuse unit to heat.
Fewer replacement parts
Laser printers typically have more consumables and require periodic replacement of the drum, transfer belt and fuse in many cases. Thanks to Heat-Free Technology, our inkjet printers use fewer parts that need replacing.
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Less intervention increases productivity
The Heat-Free structure of Epson inkjet printers means that there are fewer parts that can fail, which reduces the amount of intervention required.
Conserving heat to minimize our impact
National Geographic Explorer and ecologist, Dr. Isla Myers-Smith, explains the effects of climate change on the tundra ecosystem, highlighting the importance of both large-scale solutions and everyday actions of individuals as we look towards a sustainable future.
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Heat-Free Technology™
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References
Hedge, A., Sakr, W., & Agarwal, A. (2005, September). Thermal effects on office productivity. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 49, No. 8, pp. 823-827). SAGE Publications.
IJzerman, H., & Semin, G. R. (2009). The thermometer of social relations mapping social proximity on temperature. Psychological Science, 20(10), 1214-1220. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02434.x
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce.
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