Legal Advice: Cold in the classroom
In the autumn and winter months, complaints about the temperature regularly arrive at the AOb. What is a pleasant indoor climate and what measures are possible?
Picture: Type tank.
“We receive emails about rooms that are too cold and about heaters that are too high,” says Wim Gulitz of the Information and Advice Center of the AOb. Legislation and regulations do not include a prescribed temperature for schools. The Health and Safety Catalog PO states that the optimum temperature for learning is 20 degrees and a pleasant temperature in schools is between 18 and 22 degrees.
For a pleasant temperature it is important that students are not too close to the heating and windows. Children near the window often sit with their legs near the heater and their faces near the cold window. Thermostatic radiator valves can help regulate the temperature locally and double glazing ensures that less cold air flows past the windows.
Ventilate
Draft and humidity also influence the comfort. Most people like a humidity of 35 to 70 percent. If the air in a room becomes stuffy or too dry, ventilation by opening a window helps.
However, this can cause drafts if the heating under a windowsill cannot sufficiently heat the incoming air. Remove the windowsill or provide windows that are at least 2,40 meters above the floor, the Working Conditions Catalog recommends to prevent drafts.
