Olas de calor: cómo afectan al consumo energético de las empresas
Heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, and their effects go far beyond what is obvious. In addition to droughts, higher risk of forest fires, or lower agricultural production, they have a direct and growing impact on energy consumption and, therefore, on business costs. As everything points to this phenomenon continuing to intensify, it is worth understanding how it affects us and what can be done about it.
What exactly is a heatwave? It is usually defined as an episode of several consecutive days in which a relevant percentage of the weather stations in a region register maximum temperatures well above the usual for that time of year. This is an increasingly frequent phenomenon: while in Europe the first major extreme heatwave was experienced in the early 2000s, for several years now they have been repeated practically every summer, and something similar is happening in much of the United States, especially in states with warmer climates.
How do heatwaves affect energy consumption? On the one hand, the use of cooling systems (air conditioning, ventilation) in both offices and industrial plants skyrockets. On the other hand, many industrial machines need to work harder to remain within their recommended temperature ranges, which significantly increases consumption during peak heat hours. This increase in electricity demand also translates, indirectly, into an increase in emissions associated with electricity generation, especially in systems that still depend on non-renewable sources to cover peak consumption.
How can the impact of heatwaves on energy consumption be reduced? Organizations need tools that allow them to control their consumption at all times, including in the face of external factors such as a heatwave. The energy used for climate control can have a very significant weight during peak demand periods, and with summers getting hotter, it is reasonable to expect this pressure to continue to increase in the coming years.
That is why it is key to introduce solutions that help improve energy efficiency and reduce consumption without sacrificing comfort. At Smarkia, we work with an energy management system that applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to climate control and cold chain processes. The platform monitors and analyzes consumption data in real time, allowing companies to anticipate what energy demand will be necessary based on various factors, including meteorological ones, so that businesses can make informed decisions in advance instead of reacting on the fly.
In real client cases applying this approach to climate control and the cold chain, the observed savings reach up to 20% in electricity consumption associated with climate control and up to 40% in the cold chain, figures that match what is consistently observed in the industrial and commercial sectors. Companies like Repsol or CBRE, both clients of Smarkia, have applied these types of solutions in their facilities to gain control over their energy consumption during peak demand times.
The data is clear: we will have increasingly extreme and frequent heatwaves, both in Spain and in the United States. For this reason, at Smarkia we continue working to help companies control their energy consumption, reduce emissions, and maintain the balance between operations and sustainability, regardless of where the heat comes from.