I work in a large downtown office building that is typically quite comfortable. The building is equipped with a commercial rooftop heating and cooling system that is powerful enough to handle any weather extreme. In my local area, we deal with sub zero winter temperatures and summer heat that climbs into the nineties. The commercial HVAC system operates year round and easily maintains an ideal and consistent temperature throughout the many offices. The system further circulates and filters contaminants out the air, creating a very clean, fresh and healthy environment. Because of the effectiveness of this modern HVAC system, we’ve all gotten rather spoiled. I don’t worry about dressing for the challenges of the weather. Other than when I walk from my car to the building, the snow, wind, rain, humidity and other climate issues don’t bother me at all. Unfortunately, the HVAC system malfunctioned in early July. For several days, the air conditioner made an unpleasant squeaking sound. We all noticed a significant amount of dust floating around in the air and settling on surfaces. Several of my coworkers complained of headaches and blamed the air conditioning. Eventually, the cooling system completely quit. Although the office manager immediately called for repair, there was a wait of two days for an appointment. An HVAC contractor then inspected the unit, and figured out that several parts needed to be replaced. It took four days for the parts to come in. Because of a long weekend, we ended up going without air conditioning in the office for over a week. The entire building was excruciatingly hot and sticky, and everyone was miserable.