In the old days, businessmen would never be seen in the office without a suit and tie. Short-sleeve shirts and T-shirts were simply unheard of in cities' financial districts.

But the matter of what to wear to the office is no longer so simple. Work attire can actually make a big difference to energy saving in the scorching hot summer.

Nobody wants to sit at their desks in a hot office, sweating under heavy suit jacket. So if the rule is all employees wear suits and ties, air conditioners must also be lowered to maintain a reasonable temperature. After all, a comfortable temperature results in greater productivity.

That used to be the case with many office buildings, where often temperatures were kept so low that offices were chilly for anyone wearing a t-shirt.

But excessive air-conditioning results in wasted energy.

As a result, air-conditioning in government office buildings in the summer often accounted for 30 to 50 percent of all power consumed by public institutions.

That explains why the State Council issued a circular this week requiring temperature in all public buildings - including government offices, shopping malls and office buildings - never be kept lower than 26 C. Some leaders even encouraged office workers to wear short-sleeved shirts or T-shirts instead of suits.

This is no laughing matter.

Keeping temperatures unnecessarily low in the summer - and high in the winter - wastes energy and ups greenhouse gas emissions.

Some say it's a matter of manners to look professional, and that T-shirts in the office are inappropriate. But should we maintain "good manners" when the price is wasted energy and climate change?

What we need is a change in thinking. The corporate world should shake free of the idea that suits are the only appropriate office attire. After all, short-sleeved shirts and T-shirts don't cause problems in themselves - whereas wasted energy does.

If all offices keep temperature at a reasonable level, it will also prevent summer power shortages caused by a surge in electricity consumption.

Energy-saving is closely related to greenhouse gas emissions and the future of life on earth. No one can seriously challenge the notion that using less energy - even in the office - is a good thing.

(China Daily 06/09/2007 page4)