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  4. Heating and Comfort Policy

Heating and Comfort Policy

Introduction

Swansea University, through its Building Management System (BMS), seeks to provide comfortable conditions in which to work and study in the most environmentally and financially efficient way.  

The University endeavours to maintain a minimum temperature of 16°C during times of occupation (as recommended in the Workplace Regulations (Health, Safety and Welfare), 1992.) Some variations to this are unavoidable, due to the age and construction of some of the University’s buildings. It is recognised that there may be some individual requirements which fall outside of this policy which should be discussed with individual line managers.

Heating Periods

Heating is generally provided from 1 October – 30 April, although these dates may be amended if the weather is unseasonal. The University’s heating systems generally activate when the outside air temperature reaches a predetermined level, and are controlled to provide optimised temperatures; the hours of operation are as follows:

Area

Set point (± 1°C)

Time period

Academic, Administration and Research Buildings 

19 °C

08:00 – 18:00*

Extended Opening Buildings

19 °C

08:00 – 21:00 (7 Days)

Sports Halls & Gyms

15 °C

08:00 – 22:00*

Residential Areas 

19 °C

08:00 – 23:00

Circulation Areas

17 °C

08:00 – 18:00*

*These arrangements generally apply Monday – Friday, where heating is required outside of these periods the Estates and Campus Services Helpdesk should be informed as soon as possible.

Domestic Hot Water

The University provides hot water throughout the year in accordance with the following schedule: 

Area

Time Period

Academic, Administration and Research Buildings 

24 hours 

Residential Areas 

24 hours

Summer Conditions (1 May - 30 September)

To manage energy consumption, the associated carbon emissions and costs, the University does not normally provide comfort cooling to teaching, offices and other general spaces.  Exceptions to this include computer and other specialist labs, server rooms, and large lecture spaces.

Where comfort cooling is provided, the system will operate when the ambient temperature reaches 26oC. The comfort cooling will subsequently reduce the temperature to 22oC.

How you can help to stay comfortable all year round

It is difficult to satisfy everyone’s needs in terms of thermal comfort, and therefore building users should take reasonable measures to adapt to the environment and limit the effects of extremes in temperature:

  • Dress appropriately for the weather. Each additional layer can improve comfort by 2-3°C.
  • Only open windows, when necessary, when radiators are off and the room needs to be cooled down.
  • Use the thermostat to control radiators, rather than open a window.
  • Use window blinds to reduce solar gain.
  • Take regular breaks and don’t stay in a sedentary position throughout the day.
  • Ensure radiators are not blocked by furniture or other obstructions.
  • Switch off unnecessary electrical equipment and lighting; in the summer these can significantly increase the temperature in a room.
  • On warm/hot days open doors and windows to increase natural ventilation, ensuring fire doors are not ‘propped open’.
  • Appreciate that your view of an acceptable temperature may not be the same as other users of a building – thermal comfort is very subjective.
  • Report any heating/ventilation/window blind maintenance issues: wshelpdesk@swansea.ac.uk.

Estates Infrastructure Services will seek to maintain levels of comfort across the University

The Estates Infrastructure Services team will:

  • Aim to heat and cool buildings as set out in this policy.
  • Investigate any complaints of over heating and cooling promptly and will provide feedback through the helpdesk system.
  • Where the standards within Heating and Comfort Policy are met and there are still issues around thermal discomfort, investigate the feasibility of making improvements to the area concerned. Improvements may not always be possible, given the age and physical limitations of the building (e.g. Listed Buildings)

Requests for New Cooling Systems

The refrigerants used in Air Conditioning (AC) systems can have a global warming potential thousands of times greater than that of CO2. The University aims to limit the use of air conditioning, due to its high costs and environmental impact.  The installation of new AC systems is therefore subject to an assessment and approval process. It is recognised that internal temperatures must be tightly controlled for some applications e.g. temperature sensitive research equipment, but requests for comfort cooling will not normally be accepted.  Estates Infrastructure Services will work with the Faculties and PSUs to assess alternative approaches to achieving thermal comfort for occupants.

Version 3.0

Date Reviewed: March 2024

Next review: March 2027