Turning business electricity into 'thermal pleasure'

08/02/2010

Even in harsh times - and even harsher weather - many high street retailers still insist on keeping their street doors wide open during shopping hours.

No wonder they are forced to crank up the heating to keep warm. A recent survey by Make It Cheaper found some of the major chains on Oxford Street had a temperature of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit - hotter than Jamaica.

Unsurprisingly, high street retailers are one the busiest industry sectors most likely to switch business electricity and gas contracts.

But why do shops insist on turning up the heat in a bid to attract shoppers?

According to Professor Ken Parsons, who heads up Loughborough University's Human Thermal Environments Laboratory, it is all to do with 'Thermal Pleasure' - a transient feeling of pleasure which occurs when a person who feels cold enters a warm environment, or vice versa.

"In the winter the first impression for a shopper who is cold will be the pleasure of moving to a warm and welcoming environment.

"After twenty minutes or so, this effect will wear off and the customer may well become unpleasantly hot. Moving out into the cold will then be a pleasure."

Make It Cheaper is the UK's leading business price comparison and switching service. Find out how you could get impartial, comprehensive and free information about overheads such as business electricity.

Posted by Dan Morris