🥵 OH MY GOD!!! 28 Degrees is the Least Efficient Energy-Saving Strategy!
Mayor Ko Wen-je”s latest city management plan intends to set the air conditioning in Taipei City public offices to 28 degrees Celsius as the standard temperature for turning on the air conditioner. He also stated that city employees are welcome to wear shorts to work.
I must say, 28 degrees is absolutely the least efficient energy problem-solving strategy. This is a completely different situation from Japan”s previous tie-loosening campaign to address temperature issues.
Does this mean that if an employee doesn”t want to wear shorts, they must endure the heat and sweat to work? Mayor Ko, do you know why people living in high latitudes generally work harder than those living near the equator?
High temperatures easily make people lazy and cause their thoughts to disperse.
There is an image that perfectly explains the sentiment I want to convey:
⚖️ The Comfort Zone Trap of Equality Does Not Mean Justice
This is the positive change we initially hoped Ko Wen-je would bring us. Instead of improving, it worsened: “Deciding the comfort temperature for a group based on what a minority of a minority finds comfortable.”
As a physician, Ko Wen-je should know that the core body temperature for different ages and activity levels is inherently different.
Many studies worldwide have indicated that the “comfort temperature” for 90% of people is 26-27 degrees Celsius. But Mayor Ko, I don”t know where you got the idea to raise the air conditioning activation temperature to 28 degrees.
Perhaps Mayor Ko, your office is too spacious, causing you not to realize that your subordinates and the vast number of office workers across Taipei City actually work in a cramped space (plus the temperature increase caused by the constant coming and going of ordinary citizens).
📈 26 Degrees: A Revised Feedback Standard
Moreover, there”s a hidden trap here: how to “determine if the current temperature” has exceeded the 28-degree implementation standard. Different environments, different measurement locations, different times, and even different temperature sensing equipment can cause a one or two-degree error.
And the biggest benefit of previously using 26 degrees as the activation temperature was that it appropriately made feedback adjustments for the above problems, preemptively solving potential issues caused by temperature or indoor air without causing physical discomfort to personnel.
In the past, Taipei MRT”s heating management in winter was widely criticized. They always turned up the heat too high in winter, which was a completely wrong management decision made out of habit, without considering the unique characteristics of short-distance public transportation.
💧 Taipei”s High Humidity and the Ineffective “Copycat” Policy
The debate over what the air conditioning temperature should be has never ceased. But Mayor Ko, the physician who usually touts scientific verification and big data, what happened this time?
If you intend to reference temperature settings from other countries (I guess a large source is Japan), you must also consider the local natural environment, otherwise, it easily becomes like a parrot mimicking words or a monkey learning tricks, only grasping the superficial.
My first question is direct: Can Taipei”s humidity be compared with Japan”s humidity conditions?
Japan”s annual average humidity ranges from 63% to 77%, while Taiwan”s annual average humidity ranges from 75% to 90%. This directly causes a significant difference in perceived temperature for people in the two countries.
But don”t forget, perceived temperature is not equal to the actual temperature detectable by sensors.
To put it bluntly, Taipei City will become an even more rancid world.
🤔 Conclusion: The Disappearance of High IQ and Independent Thinking
I will never understand why students who were once top performers in school seem to lose their ability for independent thinking once they enter society. IQ test score of 157?
Many things, even without needing high IQ people, scientific verification, or big data, rather need more thinking from a “human” perspective. Many decisions can then be closer to reality and create a win-win situation for everyone.
To save energy, besides the traditional “temperature adjustment” mindset, there are actually more auxiliary strategies that can be used to achieve energy-saving goals. This is a matter of direction of thinking, for Mayor Ko”s reference only.
22:08 Update:
Ko Wen-je stated to the media again in the evening regarding this issue: “It was just a joke.”
Perhaps this is what is called Ko-style humor. Although I don”t understand the benefit of treating an issue as a joke. But Mayor Ko should at least be able to become the world”s most (self-proclaimed) humorous capital city mayor (shrugs).