An interesting article concerning research on thermal comfort in office buildings focusing on our feet coverings, rather than our typical clothing as has been the standard.

Feet [...] are exquisitely sensitive to temperature. When you get cold, the blood vessels in your extremities are the first to constrict, which is your body’s way of preventing more heat loss. “You feel uncomfortable because your feet get numb or getting close to numb,” says Edward Arens, an architect at the University of Berkeley, who also studies thermal comfort. If building managers could heat or cool the feet alone, they could cut energy and costs. So at Berkeley, researchers are focusing on thermal comfort from the feet up.

Arens has determined that keeping your feet warm can cut heating costs. If your feet are warm, the rest of your body can easily compensate for lower temps by burning a few more calories without much discomfort. And when it comes to cooling, feet need special consideration, too.

For more info on finding out why shoes are the key to a comfortable office temperature, click here.

Source: TheAtlantic.com