Herman Miller C2 Creates a Microclimate Around Your Desk

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Living in the SF Bay Area as I do, I’m used to the concept of microclimates. Married as I am, I’m also used to the temperature differences men and women seem to feel. What do either have to do with this post? Well, besides halting arguments between spouses over temperature in the house, you could think of it as establishing a microclimate around where you might sit, at home or in the office.

At 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) and 10 inches high, it looks like a small humidifier. In company tests, starting with a surrounding air temperature of 72 degrees, the C2 raised the temperature within six inches by 40 degrees, and was able to cool it by eight degrees, company spokesman Wayne Baxter said.

About 80 percent of people are comfortable in air that is between 69 and 73 degrees, said Donald Young, spokesman for Houston-based International Facility Management Association.

But surveys of his members reveal “too hot” and “too cold” as employees’ top two complaints, and a C2 is cheaper than moving a whole team because of one unhappy worker, he noted. Source: Reuters

We Say: Heh, I’ve been considering how this might work, sitting next to the chair I usually sit in when we watch TV together. Or, in the winter, vice versa.