Cool Biz Campaign Effective

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

The Cool Biz Campaign encouraging office workers to wear short sleeves and leave their ties at home during the summer has proved to be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) made the conclusion after measuring temperature changes and perspiration rates.

The campaign was launched to reduce the energy used for air-conditioning during summer by wearing comfortable clothes. The campaign first began in Japan in 2005 and Korea adopted it in the summer of 2006.

Office workers are advised not to wear jackets or ties during the summer months, which is supposed to reduce their temperatures by one or two degrees Celsius.

The experiment was conducted on four males and a mannequin. The Cool Biz group wore short-sleeve dress shirts, without neckties, while the control group wore long-sleeve shirts and ties.

The average skin temperature of the Cool Biz group was 0.47 degrees Celsius lower in 27 degrees Celsius conditions, which is the recommended summer room temperature, and 0.8 degrees Celsius lower in a 25 degrees Celsius environment, which is the average temperature at offices.

A survey on humidity and pleasantness showed that wearing the Cool Biz look in 27 degrees Celsius conditions creates the most pleasant environment.

The Ministry of Environment is promoting the look to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health. According to the ministry, raising the temperature of air-conditioning by one degree Celsius saves 7 percent of energy usage and wearing Cool Biz styles raises the ideal room temperature two degrees Celsius.

``By wearing the Cool Biz look, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using less air-conditioning,'' an NIER official said. ``We are expected to cut 160-290 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually and save 300 billion won.''

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr