After protest, Amazon workers finally get AC (some work in 110 degree temps for $11/hr)

[reflection]

183. I am a professional engineer specializing in HVAC,

Last edited Sun May 27, 2012, 08:19 AM - Edit history (1)

and I have designed heating and cooling systems for over 150 warehouses, perhaps 400 office environments, and all conceivable hybrids.

There are a tremendous number of ways to condition a large cubic-foot space. It doesn't cost as much as you might think. In the 25 years I've been in the industry, I've watched average efficiency ratings on packaged DX equipment soar from around 9 EER to around 15 EER. I've also seen the advent of water-source heat pumps which can reach over 20 EER and heat pump chillers which can reject the heat produced from the air-conditioning process to the potable water system. I am seeing chill beam technology get a foothold in the American market. It's never been easier and less expensive to cool a space than it is today.

Frankly, cooling is easier than heating when it comes to worker comfort. Cold air tends to fall, and so you are really only concerned with cooling and dehumidifying the air 10 feet above the ground, since 99% of us are under seven feet tall. Yes, you have to consider the ancillary humidity problems that come with the large cube, but any engineer worth his/her own salt can figure this out with an ASHRAE book and a rudimentary understanding of the psychrometric chart.

All that aside, for a company with the revenues of Amazon to belatedly cool indoor workers with the technology we have today is shameful. It's easy and it's cheap. It makes sense from a business and more importantly, from a human standpoint. Construction workers work in the open, they will always have it harder. We need to do whatever it takes to make their work environment as good as possible. But indoors? That's a no-brainer. What it costs to cool that warehouse/office wouldn't make a blip on Amazon's financials. I design spaces like this every day, all day, and most nights. Smaller companies have done this with ease and Amazon is late to the party.