Ask any office employee what their number one bugbear at work is, and chances are they’ll tell you that their office is either too hot or too cold.
Office buildings usually utilize a central temperature control and most thermostats are tellingly fake to prevent workers from fighting over the settings—it seems nobody can agree on the optimal temperature in the workplace.
Enter ‘Comfy’, an app that aims to solve this persistent problem by letting you control the temperature in your office.
Developed by Oakland-based startup Building Robotics, it works by connecting to a building’s existing controls. Simply input your exact location and tell the app if you’re feeling hot or cold, and it’ll stream a blast of cool or warm air in your direction.
Over time, the app learns your preferred temperature at a particular time of the day, and adjusts accordingly.
The app’s transparent nature means you can view your co-workers’ preferences, such as who last adjusted it, when they did it, and why.
It’s also energy efficient as it can sense when there are no people in a certain part of the building, reducing the energy bill by as much as 15 to 20%.
Any manager knows that happy and comfortable employees are key to a successful business and according to Lindsay Baker, vice president of research at Building Robotics, the app could lead to increased productivity in the long run.
Find out more about the ‘Comfy’ app here, and say goodbye to shivering in your cubicle and say hello to a happier, more comfortable you.
[via Fast Company, images via Comfy]