If you thought the dark, chilly mornings were affecting your performance in the office, you can now tell your boss you’ve got the evidence to back this up.

A study by American institution Cornell University has found that cooler temperatures cause workers to make more errors and can increase hourly labour costs by 10%.

Cornell University’s Human Factors and Economics Laboratory found that changes in the physical environment – especially temperature – could have a marked impact on work performance.

During a month-long study by Cornell, typing errors fell by 44% when the room was warmer and output increased by 150%.

The researchers hope their findings will contribute to the construction of much smarter buildings where environmental control systems maximise workers’ comfort so they work harder.