Heat waves are becoming more frequent.
In 2022 in Spain we suffered three heat waves, being the summer with more days of anomalous temperatures since records have been kept. And this 2023 is on track to break new records: this June has been the hottest since records have been kept.
In addition to other impacts, heat waves intensely affect energy consumption and, as a consequence, business costs. As they are becoming more frequent, companies need to understand how they affect their costs and what they can do to reduce their effects.
Main impacts of heat waves.
What is a heat wave.
First of all, we have to define what a heat wave is. According to AEMET, it is an episode of at least three consecutive days in which at least 10% of the stations record maximum temperatures above the 95% percentile of their data series (daily maximums for July and August of the 1971-2000 period).
This is an increasingly frequent phenomenon. In Europe, we suffered the first extreme heat wave in 2003 (more than 70,000 deaths are attributed to it at European level). After it we have also suffered them in 2006, 2010, 2015, and since 2018 every summer.
How heat waves affect us.
Heat waves have a strong socio-economic and environmental impact. Among their main consequences we can highlight:
- Droughts
- Increased risk of forest fires
- Higher mortality in risk groups
- Decrease in working capacity
- Lower agricultural production
- Etc.
In addition to all these points, heat waves also have a strong impact at the energy level.
Energy consequences of heat waves.
Heat waves put pressure on the energy system in multiple ways.
On the one hand, there is an increase in energy consumption due to the use of cooling elements, such as air-conditioning systems, fans, etc. In addition, many industrial and office equipment have to work harder to keep their operating temperatures within the recommended ranges.
For example, if we consult the energy demand data of Red Eléctrica de España during the week of July 11 to 15, 2022 (Monday to Friday), in the middle of the heat wave, the maximum daily demand was close to 40,000 MW.
If we compare those figures with the equivalent days of the week for this 2023, we see that the peak energy demand during the heat wave became 8.5% higher.
Another consequence of this increase in demand is the increase in emissions associated with electricity production. The EU estimated that between July 12 and 17, 2022, daily carbon emissions in the EU increased by 18%.
And if we look at more recent data, the forecast is no better. As of the date of publication of this article, several records have been broken in 2023: June was the warmest global month in history (according to sources such as NASA, the European Copernicus service, the US state agency NOAA and the Californian organization Berkeley Earth).
In addition, July 6 was the day with the highest global average temperature since records have been kept, and the week of July 3-9 was the hottest globally (data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service). Everything points to 2023 becoming the hottest year in history.
These data show the energy management consequences of heat waves. All this, as expected, also has a significant impact on energy costs for companies.
How to reduce the impact of heat waves on energy consumption.
Organizations need tools that allow them to control consumption at all times, even in the face of external problems such as heat waves.
HVAC energy can have a strong impact on peak electricity demand periods. And with hotter and hotter summers, this demand is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years.
It is therefore essential to introduce solutions that enable organizations to improve their energy efficiency and reduce consumption. In this way they will control their energy costs while contributing to less stress on the system as a whole.
At Smarkia we offer solutions that help organizations to manage their energy in all kinds of conditions. Our Energy Management System (EMS) applies Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to energy management for air conditioning and cold chain processes.
This system monitors and keeps track of all consumption data, so that it is able to predict what energy demand will be needed based on various factors, including weather. This gives companies full control over their energy consumption and allows them to make informed decisions in advance.
This reduces energy consumption and its associated costs and emissions, as well as supply problems that may affect operations.
This is something that has already been implemented by entities such as REPSOL at its service stations and at the Móstoles Technology Center, the Athletic Club's San Mamés stadium at Bilbao, the García Carrión Group, the real estate consulting and services firm CBRE and the Nueva Pescanova Group, where , thanks to EMS , energy savings of up to 20% in electricity consumption associated with air conditioning and up to 40% in the cold chain have been achieved.
Control your organization's energy consumption.
The data tell us that we will have more and more extreme and frequent heat waves.
For this reason, at Smarkia we continue to work to control energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions, maintain a balance between progress and sustainability, and reduce our carbon footprint.
Our goal is to promote a more sustainable future for everyone, companies and organizations as well as citizens and the rest of society, because we are all in this together.
If you identify with these values and want your organization to join this movement, please contact us.
