Would you bare your legs for the environment?

That's what RIBA president Jack Pringle reckons we should be doing. He has called for office temperatures to be raised from 20C in winter and 22C in summer to a sizzling 24C all year round.

He was backed by Robin Harris, current vice president of industry body CoreNet. CoreNet's research suggests that 30,000 tonnes of carbon - equivalent to that produced by 90,000 return flights between London and New York - could be saved a year if offices turned up the heat to 24C. CoreNet says this balmy temperature would deliver a 60% cut in carbon emissions in the commercial office market by 2050.

Harris said he had the support of 35 clients, including the BBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Shell.

QS News did a straw pole of industry experts, which resulted in a more mixed response: Isabel McAllister, associate director of sustainability at Cyril Sweett

"It probably would decrease carbon emissions but I would like to ask how Robin Harris looks in his Speedos… Actually 24C probably isn't too hot for comfort. But it wouldn't work in all environments, for example, in a bank where staff were required to wear a suit and tie. In other environments it works really well, such as hospitals where people want to be warm and in the retail environment where shops are always too cold in summer and too hot in winter."

David Tuffin, next year's RICS president

"The physics of having a building set at a constant temperature is a good idea - it uses less energy. But the changing relative temperature difference between the inside and outside of the building makes it difficult. Internally, the politics of the office dictate whether it's hot or cold. The girls tend to sit together shivering in coats while the mean are loosening their ties because they're too hot. Personally, I don't like it too hot and if I get cold I put a jumper on."

Joe Giordano, director of consultancy Devsol

"24 Degrees - global warming in the office space! I suppose we would have to convince the industry to change from the traditional stuffy dress code of a suit and tie and introduce a new one involving shorts, Hawaiian shirts, flip flops and of course a fridge to keep the beer cold."