Clothes for working in air conditioning

Short answer: Air conditioning keeps a steady temperature, but it also cools with airflow. If you sit in the draught, you feel cold even at twenty two degrees. The answer is a fixed layer over your shoulders all year and covered ankles.

The draught cools more than the number says

Moving air feels several degrees colder than still air. The airflow keeps removing the thin layer of warm air your body forms close to the skin. That is why the thermostat can show a comfortable temperature while you still feel cold. A soft inner layer close to the body helps hold on to warmth. See bamboo slips.

Why you feel cold and your colleague does not

Two people in the same room can experience the temperature very differently. It is often about where you sit. Someone under a vent gets the full airflow, while someone three metres away barely notices it. Look up when you sit down, and notice where the air is coming from.

A fixed layer all year

With air conditioning the temperature is the same in July and January. So it makes little sense to dress for the weather outside when you sit indoors all day. Summer is when it catches most people out, because you leave home in light clothes. Bring a fixed layer whatever the season, and make it a habit.

A layer over your shoulders

The draught usually hits the neck and shoulders, and a layer that solves that is enough. It does not need to be thick. A light top with sleeves or a thin layer across your shoulders makes a clear difference. Choose something soft that does not crease, so it can stay in your bag all day. See women's bamboo tops.

Do not forget your ankles

Ankles are the third place where the airflow meets the skin directly, especially in sandals or low shoes. Cold ankles can make your whole body feel cold. A pair of socks in your bag is a simple fix that takes up no space. Put them on when you sit down and take them off when you leave. See bamboo socks for women.

Several thin layers rather than one thick

The temperature in an air conditioned building is stable, but you move between desk, corridor and meeting room. Several thin layers let you adjust without changing your whole outfit. A thin inner layer, a top and a light layer over the shoulders can be combined as needed. One thick layer is either on or off.

Move if you can

Sometimes the simplest solution is to move. If you can sit somewhere other than right under the vent, that often helps more than any layer. If that is not possible, it may be worth asking whether the airflow can be pointed another way. Clothing helps, but it cannot remove the draught completely.

The walk out into the heat

In summer the step from a cool office into warm air outside is a big one. A layer you can easily take off and put in your bag makes the switch easier. Choose clothes that fold well and take up little space, so you do not have to carry them in your hand all the way home.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you feel cold with air conditioning

Because the air is moving. A draught feels several degrees colder than the same temperature in still air, even when the thermostat shows something comfortable.

What should you wear

A fixed layer over your shoulders all year round. The temperature from air conditioning does not change with the seasons, so that layer belongs in your bag even when it is warm outside.

Where does the draught hit

Most often the neck, shoulders and ankles. That is where the airflow meets the skin most directly, so those three places should be covered first.