Office heating and the law on workplace temperature

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There is no single legal minimum temperature for an office written into UK law. Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 says that "During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable." The figure most people quote comes from HSE's Approved Code of Practice, L24, which says the temperature in a workplace "should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius" (or at least 13°C where work involves rigorous physical effort, which rarely applies in an office). HSE also says 16°C may not be comfortable on its own, so treat it as a floor, not a target. For most offices, meeting that duty in winter depends on the heating plant working, which is why reporting faults early and keeping the boilers and controls serviced matter. This guide explains what the law and HSE guidance say, how to measure office temperature properly, who is responsible in shared buildings, and what to do when the heating fails.

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Commercial heating tips and advice · 11 November 2026 · Fast Commercial Boiler Help, Gas Safe 985448

Office heating minimum temperature: the law and the 16°C guideline

What regulation 7 actually requires

Regulation 7 of the Workplace Regulations applies in England, Wales and Scotland (legislation.gov.uk lists its extent as E+W+S). It has four parts that matter for office heating:

A reasonable temperature. Regulation 7(1): "During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable."
Insulation and sunlight. Regulation 7(1A), added in 2002, says a workplace "shall be adequately thermally insulated where it is necessary, having regard to the type of work carried out and the physical activity of the persons carrying out the work" and that "excessive effects of sunlight on temperature shall be avoided."
No harmful fumes from heating. Regulation 7(2): "A method of heating or cooling shall not be used which results in the escape into a workplace of fumes, gas or vapour of such character and to such extent that they are likely to be injurious or offensive to any person."
Thermometers. Regulation 7(3): "A sufficient number of thermometers shall be provided to enable persons at work to determine the temperature in any workplace inside a building."

GOV.UK sums it up plainly: "There's no law for minimum or maximum working temperatures, for example when it's too cold or too hot to work. However, guidance suggests a minimum of 16ºC or 13ºC if employees are doing physical work."

The 16°C guideline and why the ACOP matters

The 16°C figure is in the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) in HSE's L24, Workplace health, safety and welfare (second edition, 2013). Paragraph 61 reads: "The temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius. If work involves rigorous physical effort, the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. However, these temperatures may not necessarily provide reasonable comfort, depending on other factors such as air movement, relative humidity and worker clothing."

An ACOP is not law in itself, but L24 explains that "the Code has a special legal status. If you are prosecuted for breach of health and safety law, and it is proved that you did not follow the relevant provisions of the Code, you will need to show that you have complied with the law in some other way or a Court will find you at fault." In practice, an office that sits below 16°C during working hours is hard to defend as "reasonable".

Paragraph 60 sets the wider aim: "The temperature inside the workplace should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing." So the duty is not met simply by asking staff to wear coats at their desks. Paragraph 66 adds that in other areas, such as toilets and rest facilities, "temperatures should be reasonable", and changing rooms and shower rooms "should not be cold."

How to measure office temperature properly

Where and how you take readings makes a real difference, especially in open-plan offices with large windows. L24 says:

"Temperature readings should be taken close to workstations, at working height and away from windows." (paragraph 61)
"Thermometers should be available at suitable locations in every part of the workplace to allow people to measure temperatures, but do not need to be provided in each workroom. Thermometers should not be located directly in front of windows or near radiant heat sources." (paragraph 68)

A reading from the corridor, the BMS sensor on a warm internal wall or the thermostat by the radiator may not reflect the desks by the windows. When people say the office is cold, take readings at desk height in the affected area, note the time, the outside conditions and the reading on any room thermostat or BMS screen, and keep the log. That record is useful to you as the duty holder, and it gives the heating engineer something concrete to work from. Our guide to BMS and heating controls covers sensors that disagree with the room.

HSE's thermal comfort guidance explains why the thermometer is only part of the picture: "Air temperature alone is not a valid or accurate indicator of a comfortable workplace temperature or heat stress." It lists six factors: air temperature, radiant temperature, air movement and speed, humidity, clothing and PPE insulation, and work rate and metabolic heat. It also notes that "small air movements in cool or cold environments may be perceived as a draught". HSE suggests a simple first step: "ask your workers or their safety representatives (such as unions or employee associations) if they are satisfied with the thermal environment."

Is there a maximum office temperature?

No. HSE says: "There's no law for maximum working temperature, or when it's too hot to work, because every workplace is different." It adds that employers must still stick to health and safety at work law, including "keeping the temperature at a comfortable level" and "providing clean and fresh air". Overheated offices in winter can be a controls problem (time schedules, setpoints or valves stuck open) rather than a boiler problem, and are worth reporting in the same way as a cold office.

Who is responsible for office heating in a shared building?

Regulation 4 of the Workplace Regulations places the duty on more than one person. Every employer must ensure that a workplace "which is under his control and where any of his employees works" complies with the Regulations. In addition, "every person who has, to any extent, control of a workplace" must ensure it complies with requirements that relate "to matters within that person's control."

In a multi-tenant office, that often means the tenant employer is responsible for its own staff and the temperature in its space, while a landlord or managing agent who controls central boiler plant, communal controls or the BMS has duties for those parts. Who controls what depends on the lease and how the building is run, so it is worth agreeing in writing who reports heating faults, who calls the engineer and who keeps the service records. Our guide to commercial landlord heating responsibilities looks at this in more detail, including the gas safety duty for plant "under his control".

Heating plant: maintenance duties behind a warm office

Two sets of rules sit behind the heating itself:

Workplace Regulations, regulation 5. It requires certain equipment, devices and systems to be "maintained (including cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair", including "equipment and devices a fault in which is liable to result in a failure to comply with any of these Regulations". Where an office depends on its heating to keep a reasonable temperature, it makes sense to include the heating in that system of maintenance. L24's guidance (paragraph 44) says the frequency of maintenance, what it involves and who is competent to do it "will depend on the equipment or device concerned", and points to manufacturers' information and instructions; paragraph 45 points to CIBSE publications for systems of maintenance for buildings.
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 35. Every employer or self-employed person must ensure that any gas appliance, installation pipework or flue installed at any place of work under their control "is maintained in a safe condition so as to prevent risk of injury to any person." HSE's page for employers says work on gas fittings must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is qualified to do the work.

On fumes, L24 paragraph 78 says: "Fixed heating systems should be installed and maintained so that the products of combustion do not enter the workplace. Any heater which produces heat by combustion should have a sufficient air supply to ensure complete combustion." That links regulation 7(2) directly to boiler servicing, flue checks and keeping plant room ventilation clear (see our guide to plant room ventilation for gas boilers).

A planned service before the heating season helps reduce the chance of a cold office on a Monday morning. Our guide to what a commercial boiler service includes explains the typical tasks, and commercial boiler servicing and planned preventive maintenance cover how we schedule it. For buildings left empty over holidays, see frost protection for commercial heating plant.

When the office heating fails: practical steps

HSE's managing workplace temperatures page lists practical steps when people are too cold, including to "Provide adequate workplace heating, such as portable heaters, to ensure work areas are warm enough when they are occupied", "Reduce draughts while still keeping adequate ventilation", and "Provide enough breaks to allow workers to get hot drinks or warm up in heated areas". L24 adds that "If a reasonably comfortable temperature cannot be achieved throughout a workroom, local heating or cooling (as appropriate) should be provided" (paragraph 65), and that suitable protective clothing and rest facilities should be provided where local heating fails to give reasonable comfort, with systems of work such as task rotation where practical (paragraph 69).

A sensible order for a facilities or office manager:

Take and log readings at desk height in the affected areas, as above.
Check what you safely can at user level: is it a whole-building or one-zone problem, has the clock or BMS schedule changed (for example after a power cut or a clock change), and is there a fault message on the boiler or controller display? Note any fault code. Don't keep resetting a boiler that locks out; our boiler lockout log sheet explains what to record instead.
Report it to whoever controls the plant (landlord, managing agent or your own maintenance contractor), with your readings and the fault details.
Arrange temporary measures such as local heating, moving people to warmer areas, extra breaks and relaxed dress codes while the repair is arranged.
Get a Gas Safe registered commercial engineer to the plant. Site staff should not open burner covers, adjust gas valves, alter safety devices or work on flues.

Take care with temporary heaters. L24 says to "Ensure that portable paraffin and liquefied petroleum gas heaters do not produce fumes which will be harmful or offensive" (paragraph 78), and to "Take care when siting temporary heaters to prevent burns from contact with hot surfaces" (paragraph 80). Follow the heater manufacturer's instructions and your fire risk assessment, and keep heaters clear of anything combustible.

If you suspect a gas leak at any point, don't wait for the heating repair. HSE's advice for employers is to turn off the supply and immediately phone the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 (or your LPG supplier, for LPG), and if in doubt, evacuate the building.

Office heating temperature checklist

Check	Who	When
Thermometers at suitable locations, not in front of windows or near radiators or other heat sources	Employer or office manager	Once set up, then reviewed if layouts change
Readings at desk height, logged with time and outside conditions, when people report being cold or hot	Office or facilities manager	As complaints arise; more often in cold spells
Agree in writing who controls the boilers, controls and BMS, and who reports faults and calls the engineer	Tenant and landlord or managing agent	At the start of a lease, then yearly
Heating schedules and setpoints match occupied hours (check after power cuts and clock changes)	Whoever controls the BMS or time clock	Start of the heating season and after changes
Boiler service and gas safety checks on appliances, pipework and flues	Gas Safe registered commercial engineer	At the intervals in the manufacturer's instructions and your maintenance schedule
Faults and lockouts logged and reported, not repeatedly reset	Site staff and facilities manager	As they happen
Temporary heating and other measures if the heating fails, with heaters sited safely	Employer	Until the repair is complete

Office heating not keeping up?

Our Gas Safe registered engineers (985448) work on office boiler plant, cascades, controls and hot water for owners, managing agents and single occupiers. See our office boiler repair and heating maintenance page and the other sectors we work in, or commercial boiler repair for breakdowns. Call 0800 0996 007, WhatsApp 07947 578332 or email info@fastcommercialboiler.help. Photos of the boiler display or controller screen help us prepare.

Safety note

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, gas work must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and we apply that rule on every site. Don't attempt DIY work on gas appliances, burners, flues or safety devices. On pressure systems, trained site staff should stick to visual and gauge checks, log the readings and report anything abnormal. Never adjust, cap, plug or test-lift a relief valve yourself.

Talk to a Gas Safe commercial engineer

Fast Commercial Boiler Help is a Gas Safe registered (985448) commercial heating business based at 4 Market Hill, Clare, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 8NN. Our team of over 10 local engineers covers East Anglia and East London, working on commercial boilers, plant rooms, water heaters, and warm air, radiant and unit heaters. We work on commercial premises only.

Call 0800 0996 007

Call or WhatsApp 07947 578332 (a photo of the appliance data plate or the fault display helps) · Email info@fastcommercialboiler.help

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum temperature for an office in the UK?

The law (regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992) says the temperature in indoor workplaces must be reasonable during working hours. HSE's Approved Code of Practice L24 says it should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C where work involves rigorous physical effort. HSE notes these figures may not on their own give reasonable comfort.

Is 16°C a legal requirement?

Not as a fixed figure in the Regulations. It comes from the Approved Code of Practice in HSE's L24, which has special legal status: if you are prosecuted and did not follow the Code, you need to show you complied with the law in some other way.

Is there a maximum temperature for offices?

No. HSE and GOV.UK both say there is no law for a maximum working temperature. Employers must still keep the temperature at a comfortable level and provide clean and fresh air.

Where should office temperature be measured?

HSE's L24 says readings should be taken close to workstations, at working height and away from windows. Thermometers should not sit directly in front of windows or near radiant heat sources.

Who is responsible for heating in a multi-tenant office?

Regulation 4 places duties on the employer for workplaces under its control and on anyone who has, to any extent, control of a workplace, for matters within their control. Often the tenant employer is responsible for its staff and space, and the landlord or managing agent for central plant and controls, but it depends on the lease, so agree it in writing.

What should we do if the office heating breaks down?

Log temperatures at desk height, note any boiler or controller fault codes, report the fault to whoever controls the plant and arrange temporary measures such as local heating, warmer areas and extra breaks. Repairs to gas boilers must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999.

Sources and further reading