Southeast Asia Office Workers Swelter in Energy-Saving Drive, Heat Wave

Trucks used in a road test of Indonesia's B50 biodiesel program in April. Photographer: Eko Listiyorini/Bl

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(Bloomberg) — A heat wave sweeping across Southeast Asia is making offices even warmer, as workers continue to adjust to energy-saving measures put in place by governments due to the war in Iran.

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Many countries have imposed temperature controls at government workplaces since the war began, among other measures to conserve energy. As the prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz drains energy reserves, relief does not look to be coming anytime soon with parts of the region set to bake in abnormally hot conditions in the months ahead.

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Among the hardest-hit countries is Thailand, where temperatures soared to above 40C (104F) in recent weeks and the Bangkok government has issued multiple “dangerous” heat warnings. In March, the Thai government ordered public sector offices to set air conditioner temperatures at 26C-27C.

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“Sometimes it even feels hard to breathe,” said Pornpimol Sirimai, who works at the health ministry and has bought electric fans to cool down. “The canteen and even the 7-Eleven downstairs are cooler than our office, which is why people end up gathering there.”

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The onset of the El Niño weather system in the summer could make it even worse.

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Southeast Asia faces a “double whammy,” said Emi Gui, adjunct associate professor at Monash University in Malaysia. “El Niño is likely to recreate extreme heat conditions, increasing the likelihood for both droughts and floods, threatening lives and agricultural activities.”

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El Niño will likely also unleash drought conditions that can wither crops like rice, palm oil, rubber and sugar, and deplete water levels in dams used to generate electricity just as demand rises. 

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Clothing is one way that governments are trying to ameliorate uncomfortable conditions in offices. 

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At one branch of the Philippine Land Transportation Office, employees have been allowed to wear light, collared shirts instead of traditional attire, said Zeus Marcelino, officer in charge at an LTO office in Manila — in 2024 the government mandated that civil servants wear “ASEAN-inspired” or traditional Filipino clothing on Mondays. The Philippines is this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and meetings.

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The Philippines in early March directed government offices to set their ACs to no lower than 24C, and the country’s weather agency issued an El Niño alert on April 22. At the central bank, the AC is maintained at 25C.

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“It’s not that cold. But it’s not hot, meaning just enough,” said Elmore Capule, a deputy governor at the central bank. “They are coping well, I think our employees understand that we are in a crisis situation.”

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Malaysia meanwhile is promoting wearing traditional cotton batik shirts, and has also mandated offices set ACs to 24C. Norhisham Khalid, who works at the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, said that the temperature adjustment is a good thing as the office was so cold before “that some people had to wear sweaters.”