Why Can't they Get the Temperature Right?

[Bletchleyite]

I'm one of those people, it amazed me on Friday afternoon when none of the windows on the bus were open and I got up at 6am yesterday to get shopping done before the sun came up.

Strange thing...on Thursday (roasting hot) I got on a Red Arrow bus (521 I think) from Cannon St to Holborn. When I boarded the windows were all closed and it was like an oven. I opened one, and very quickly others followed despite having sat in the oven for some time before I boarded.

(Though I think if it was working those buses are meant to be air-conditioned, however it definitely wasn't working)

 

[SS4]

Strange thing...on Thursday (roasting hot) I got on a Red Arrow bus (521 I think) from Cannon St to Holborn. When I boarded the windows were all closed and it was like an oven. I opened one, and very quickly others followed despite having sat in the oven for some time before I boarded.

(Though I think if it was working those buses are meant to be air-conditioned, however it definitely wasn't working)

I reckon they just wanted someone to take the first step in the belief that someone else wanted it closed. I've had people thank me for opening a window they could have easily opened themselves. We don't have the luxury of air conditioned buses (or at least it's not on a sticker ) out here in the sticks

 

[DownSouth]

I think some people forget two things when setting temperatures on air-con systems (whether it's on public transport or not):

1. Temperatures given on weather forecasts are largely academic. If you have an exterior temperature of 21oC with little air movement and direct sunlight it'll feel warmer than 21oC, whereas if you set the air-con to 21oC it'll finish up feeling cooler than an exterior 21oC when there's no direct sunlight and a light breeze.

Quite the opposite. Maximum forecast temperatures are standardised, not academic, and the problem lies equally with those who have failed to educate the public about how to properly interpret them as with the people who never bothered to ry and find out.

In Australia the Bureau of Meteorology has investigated swapping the headline maximum/minimum forecast to use the apparent temperature which is a more comprehensive heat stress measure (it takes into account the humidity, wind speed and sunlight) instead of the currently conventional measure of the ambient air temperature. Unfortunately the forecast accuracy is not there yet, so the plan has had to be shelved.

The same applies to the temperatures set on an air conditioning system - evaporative and refrigerated systems can feel different at the same temperature setting, humidity plays a part, plus of course the location and calibration of the temperature sensor.

2. People dress differently in summer and winter and are more acclimatised to warm weather in the summer and cool weather in the winter. Therefore having it set to 20oC all year could lead to complaints in the summer about it being too cold, even though people find it acceptable in the winter. However, the difficulty if when to tweak the temperatures.

Spot on.

One way around the seasonal acclimatisation (and to reduce energy usage at the same time) is to set a lower temperature for heating than cooling. The heating would therefore only be activated when the temperature goes below perhaps 18°C (exact values are only examples) and cooling only starts when the temperature goes above perhaps 24°C, with the gap between having just air circulation without either heating or cooling.

 

[bramling]

The latter is precisely the issue. I like the very cool HSTs, I find the rather over-warm Turbos unbearable (to the point I'll avoid 166s and use 165s, as at least the windows can be sure to be open for a breeze). You differ, I guess. When on a long rail journey (which the HSTs are mainly intended for) I don't care about the outdoor clothes issue, as I remove these before sitting down.
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Is taking your coat off really that much hassle? Won't you need to do it when you reach your destination.



Try the overhead rack.



Just be careful



Ditto

I have once left a coat on the train (message to self: twit), but the small risk of doing that is far outweighed by the gain in comfort.

Why is it this forum always seems to make problems out of things that aren't a problem in the first place?

My preference is not to have to re-arrange dress several times a day, and instead simply have a window open if I start getting warmer. In any case, I prefer having the extra circulation of fresh air.

The only time this can cause an issue is when on an air-conditioned train which is too hot -- in which case I find taking off a layer or two doesn't help much anyway.

One of the benefits of having my own private office at work is I can have the temperature as exactly as desired, either utilising air conditioning or opening windows, long may that continue!

 

[RobShipway]

I was also on an HST Saturday which I travelled from Reading to Worcester Shrub Hill on and the temperature in the carriage I was travelling within was perfect to be honest. Cool enough to stop me from getting too hot and such that I fell asleep for most of my journey.