How cold should aircon be set on public transport?

[themeone]

About a month ago, I travelled on Southern from East Croydon to Southampton - not a line that's exactly a pleasure even under the best of circumstances, but on this occasion it was a hot day, yet the train was really cold inside. Needless to say after sitting on the train for two hours plus in T shirt and shorts I was extremely cold.

Speaking to friends since I've heard other similar stories mostly involving Cross Country trains. Don't remember trains being kept so icy cold in previous summers. Has there been a change of policy?

 

[DarloRich]

I hope so! Nothing better than arctic air con on a hot day

( perhaps aircon had just been repaired or charged up or something as my old car aircon was great after a re gas)

 

[dk1]

Several of our catering staff get a royal flush so ask me to knock the AC down to super fridge mode.

 

[NoOnesFool]

Nothing better than an ice cold train. Meridians and Voyagers have exemplary air conditioning. 158s seem to be dreadful this summer, everyone I have been on has had failed air con.

 

[dk1]

Nothing better than an ice cold train. Meridians and Voyagers have exemplary air conditioning. 158s seem to be dreadful this summer, everyone I have been on has had failed air con.

158s have always been dreadful lol

Stadlers are pure bliss. TfW & Merseyrail are in for a real treat in future summers.

 

[vicbury]

Nothing better than an ice cold train. Meridians and Voyagers have exemplary air conditioning. 158s seem to be dreadful this summer, everyone I have been on has had failed air con.

Count yourself lucky you weren't on my GWR 166 earlier with no air con and the heating on full blast!!

 

[NoOnesFool]

Count yourself lucky you weren't on my GWR 166 earlier with no air con and the heating on full blast!!

I was on a 150 when it was the record temperature heatwave that head the heater on!

 

[Jim the Jim]

I hope so! Nothing better than arctic air con on a hot day

I disagree. When you've dressed for the heat it's rubbish to find yourself on a train for an hour where you really need to put on a jumper.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Could be a serious threat to health, you are on the platform and get used to the temperature there, on the train the air is much cooler or warmer. Very unpleasant I find.

I am sure opening windows would be much better than air-Con.

 

[NoOnesFool]

I am sure opening windows would be much better than air-

I disagree. They just blow warm air in and create a noisy environment in the cabin.

 

[najaB]

I am sure opening windows would be much better than air-Con.

When the train is moving at speed, probably. But not so much if there's disruption and the train is either moving very slowly or stopped for an extended period.

 

[hexagon789]

Perhaps the day will come when air-con is no longer permitted to be set below 27C... or heating above 19C in the winter. As the Cortes Generales in Spain has just approved.

 

[Flying Snail]

Perhaps the day will come when air-con is no longer permitted to be set below 27C... or heating above 19C in the winter. As the Cortes Generales in Spain has just approved.

27 is far too hot, I'd never set foot on public transport again, my car is nice and cool with the temp set to 20.

 

[MikeWM]

Perhaps the day will come when air-con is no longer permitted to be set below 27C... or heating above 19C in the winter. As the Cortes Generales in Spain has just approved.

A policy seemingly perfectly designed to irritate pretty much everyone, as very few people will be comfortable with *both* of those extremes.

Plus there have been many studies showing that optimum productivity is at around 21-22 degrees, and falls off considerably below 20 and above 25, so such a policy isn't going to do a lot for the economy either.

 

[Peter0124]

Perhaps the day will come when air-con is no longer permitted to be set below 27C... or heating above 19C in the winter. As the Cortes Generales in Spain has just approved.

27C seems very high, the winter solution is fine as theres always blankets.

 

[Snow1964]

I hope so! Nothing better than arctic air con on a hot day

( perhaps aircon had just been repaired or charged up or something as my old car aircon was great after a re gas)

My old car had wonderful cold air con when I sold it after 10 years, never wasted money doing a regas, just never turned it off, whatever the season. ((Few extra pounds of fuel much cheaper than a repair)

The secret to reliable air con is not to design weak pipes and never tamper with it, or isolate it.

 

[Flying Snail]

About a month ago, I travelled on Southern from East Croydon to Southampton - not a line that's exactly a pleasure even under the best of circumstances, but on this occasion it was a hot day, yet the train was really cold inside. Needless to say after sitting on the train for two hours plus in T shirt and shorts I was extremely cold.

Speaking to friends since I've heard other similar stories mostly involving Cross Country trains. Don't remember trains being kept so icy cold in previous summers. Has there been a change of policy?

I assume you moved seats and carriages, otherwise all you really experienced was one part of one train being cold, a lot of stock has unequal distribution of the air from vents as well as each coach having the potential of being a different temperatue.

 

[Bletchleyite]

About a month ago, I travelled on Southern from East Croydon to Southampton - not a line that's exactly a pleasure even under the best of circumstances, but on this occasion it was a hot day, yet the train was really cold inside. Needless to say after sitting on the train for two hours plus in T shirt and shorts I was extremely cold.

Speaking to friends since I've heard other similar stories mostly involving Cross Country trains. Don't remember trains being kept so icy cold in previous summers. Has there been a change of policy?

Decent aircon is lovely. If you don't like it, put on a jumper. You wouldn't want me to strip off because it's too warm, so the cold side is a sensible default.

 

[Furryanimal]

I love getting on a chilly,well air condtioned train on a steaming hot day.
Much better than a recent Sunday when the air conditioned had failed on a rammed TFW Marches train!

 

[najaB]

27 is far too hot, I'd never set foot on public transport again, my car is nice and cool with the temp set to 20.

Keep in mind that in many parts of Spain summer temperatures average a good 10 to 12 degrees C higher than the UK, so an equivalent ruling for us would likely see the lower bound set at 19°C.

 

[skyhigh]

Could be a serious threat to health...

Oh come on, seriously?

I am sure opening windows would be much better than air-Con.

So you get stopped at a red signal on a hot day for 30 mins. Which would be better - a 170 with aircon in working order, or a 150 with the windows open?

 

[gg1]

Perhaps the day will come when air-con is no longer permitted to be set below 27C... or heating above 19C in the winter. As the Cortes Generales in Spain has just approved.

......both of which are outside what I consider to be comfortable temperature range.

 

[Bletchleyite]

......both of which are outside what I consider to be comfortable temperature range.

27 is too hot for office workers to be productive.

19...put a jumper on.

 

[FuzzyDuck]

Took a SWR 159 (could have been a 158 as it was 159+158 combo and can't remember how many carriages I walked back to find a seat!) on Sunday and it was blissfully cool, definitely no too cold.

 

[gg1]

27 is too hot for office workers to be productive.

19...put a jumper on.

If I'm sedentary for a prolonged period 19 is still too cold for me even wearing a tshirt, long sleeved shirt and jumper.

Realistically if the heating was set at that level on trains I'd just drive instead.

 

[urbophile]

158s have always been dreadful lol

Stadlers are pure bliss. TfW & Merseyrail are in for a real treat in future summers.

I was going to say we don't have summers in Merseyside (or in most of Wales). But two days the other week and this week's forecast made me think. Global heating is real; the question is, does the use of air-conditioning make it worse? In buildings it is using up more energy so I suppose so, unless it's all from renewable sources. On trains, would the energy used to power air-con still be generated and go to waste otherwise?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was going to say we don't have summers in Merseyside (or in most of Wales). But two days the other week and this week's forecast made me think. Global heating is real; the question is, does the use of air-conditioning make it worse? In buildings it is using up more energy so I suppose so, unless it's all from renewable sources. On trains, would the energy used to power air-con still be generated and go to waste otherwise?

With vehicles it is generally reckoned that the turbulence caused by opening windows uses more energy.

 

[najaB]

Global heating is real; the question is, does the use of air-conditioning make it worse? In buildings it is using up more energy so I suppose so, unless it's all from renewable sources. On trains, would the energy used to power air-con still be generated and go to waste otherwise?

As @Bletchleyite says, the additional energy required to run the air conditioning is more than offset by the decrease in air resistance. However, you also need to consider the effect of the production and eventual release of the refrigerant gasses. On balance, it's probably still a net benefit though.

 

[dk1]

I was going to say we don't have summers in Merseyside (or in most of Wales). But two days the other week and this week's forecast made me think. Global heating is real; the question is, does the use of air-conditioning make it worse? In buildings it is using up more energy so I suppose so, unless it's all from renewable sources. On trains, would the energy used to power air-con still be generated and go to waste otherwise?

Sorry I have no idea mate. Just know that it’s a wonderfully cool working environment for me these days.

 

[43066]

Sorry I have no idea mate. Just know that it’s a wonderfully cool working environment for me these days.

I bet you miss the 360s… Not!

Decent aircon is lovely. If you don't like it, put on a jumper. You wouldn't want me to strip off because it's too warm, so the cold side is a sensible default.

Agreed (especially about the not stripping off ). It’s extraordinary that during a swelteringly hot and dry summer, including the hottest day ever recorded, people are complaining about air con being too cold!