Heating and ventilating contractors' workloads to hot up,says Mitie

Contractors specialising in heating and ventilating offices could be set for bumper workloads in preparation for next summer as the UK climate gets hotter, according to Mitie.

The group's Mitie Air Conditioning division has already been inundated with calls for temporary air conditioning units during the previous heatwave.

Demands, said Mitie, are only set to rise with the TUC recently calling for a legal maximum temperature of 30°c.

The World Health Organisation recommends 24°c as a maximum working temperature.

"UK companies need to realise that changes in our climate are impacting on the two most important resources to a business - its people and its equipment," said Terry Macleod, director of Mitie Air Conditioning's Bristol office.

"To overcome this problem, office builders and designers need to consider air conditioning as a top priority in any new venture. Portable systems are simply out of the question for offices where you can't open the windows and they pose a security risk for those that do.

"We would recommend making an investment in a cost effective air conditioning system now to avoid another 'meltdown' next year as the mercury rises."