Sorry about the title, but, I am getting a little heated.
Winter has just started to get colder over here in NZ and I have really had my work cut out, fixing up A/Con equipment that has gone out on o/load(in Commercial buildings).
Most of the time this is caused by the staff in the said building winding the temperature controller up as far as it will go, at one place it was set at 38 degrees!.
I wish that there was a way that these controllers could be locked out, or at least have a password entry system on them.
Another problem that really gets my goat, is when staff in these buildings, start fooling around with the heating control timers (which are normally held in the switch-board), with the idea that you can get more heat of the system, by changing the program.
This normally results in the program being mucked up or being cleared completely and the system shuts down all together.
I'm getting sick and tired of this behaviour, and I have raised my concerns with various managers at the respective places and most of the time I was told that they only do it because they feel cold.
If I am cold, I put more clothes on!.
What are your thoughts on this debacle?.

Hard to change human nature, my wife and I can never agree on the right temperature.

In many of the buildings I work all HVAC is controlled by computers.

The temperature sensors on the walls have a slide control that can control the temperature but most times the program is written to ignore the slide control.

However the tenants do not know this and think they have adjusted the setting and feel better knowing they took care of it, sort of a temperature placebo.

Bob

Hmm.... 38 deg. C = 100 F. I guess they like to be warm and cozy!

I'm convinced thst some people don't understand thermostats at all. They seem to think that if the room temperature is, say, 50 deg. and the stat is set for 70, that by turning it up to full they'll somehow warm up quicker.

What infuriates me is the often-found double standards in government. Every few years here there seems to be a govt. sponsored campaign to save energy -- "Turn your thermostat down just 2 degrees and help save the planet" kind of thing. So why is it that practically every govt. office you go into is heated to about 78 degrees year round?

In the US, adjsutable wall-mounted room thermostats are can be covered with an opaque locking cover specifically for the application.

There may be export versions of these under-desk low-watt products for those with perennially cold feet… http://www.triliteinc.com/cozy.htm

Thanks for your comments guys,
iwire,
That's an interesting concept on the thermostat settings!.
I've heard it said that men and women sense temperature levels differently, don't ask me how.
Paul,
38 degrees is just rediculous, no wonder our lakes are empty, but just walking around in these offices, the heat is stifling.
Should make them all go for a run around the block, instead!.