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- vancouver, canada
I don't know how they do it in multiplexes, but in our place, there is no "thermostat" to adjust. The HVAC system is controlled by a complex computer control module that regulates not just temperature but also outside air intake and internal CO2 concentration by controlling dampers, air-circulation fans, heat, and cooling. It's impossible to control the specific temperature at any given specific point in such a large open space -- so the regulation is based on the air as it is sucked into the return-air intake, not how it feels at any one seat.
In short, if somebody tells me they're too cold or too warm, all I can do is tell them to try a different seat.
THe biggest issue I have to deal with is not the temperature in the theatre, but the temperature in the projection booth. The digital projection system we installed several years ago vents its exhaust -- from a 2000 watt xenon arc lamp -- directly into the booth. And the projector will shut itself down for safety reasons (so that lamp doesn't, you know, explode and kill me) if the booth temperature exceeds 90 degrees. So we have to run a special auxiliary AC system in the booth at 64 degrees, year round, just to keep the equipment from failure. I have had to painstakingly explain this to executive bean counters who don't understand what possible reason there is for running an AC system in the dead of a Maine winter, but my life depends on it, so I run it.
My final career iteration was as a site tech for an engineering company specializing in indoor air quality. In my experience one of the most thankless jobs is that of a building operator. By far the most expressed complaint from tenants is the temp issue. We were brought in to consult and to fix the unfixable. I have walked away from an inspection, leaving two women in a bitter argument. One lady too hot the other of course too cold both ready to fight to the death for their position. And yes much of the issue is related to location. If you are seated in the jet stream of either the heating or the AC your comfort level will be different from someone seated just a few feet away. And to complicate it my equipment would register the same temp in both areas.
My most frequent advice, although I told them if they quoted me I would deny having ever said the words......block the ceiling register or redirect it with a strategically placed file folder duct taped to the ceiling.