Summertime tends to present its own unique challenges because of the hotter climate, such as reduced employee productivity, an increased strain on utilities, and increased humidity that can prevent permanent equipment from performing efficiently.
In this article, we’ll explore these topics in depth, and provide solutions on how to beat the summer heat.
It’s no secret: A hot and humid environment is not only uncomfortable for employees but can severely hamper employee productivity and production levels as well as causing heat illness.
Although heat illness is preventable, thousands in the US become sick from occupational heat exposure, across a range of industries – from construction to oil and gas sites, steel mills, and other manufacturing facilities that have high-heat processes or perform work outdoors.
That’s why OSHA encourages employers to make sure their people are working at safe and comfortable temperatures.
In other words, keeping employees cool is important from an ethical and regulatory standpoint. But there are also good financial reasons to regulate temperature on your site. Research shows that, past 90°F, productivity falls by about 25 percent. Past 100°F, it falls by a staggering 70%.
That productivity loss translates directly into financial loss for businesses. A recent study found that extreme heat harms labour-intensive sectors of the economy more than any other, increasing absenteeism and reducing work hours. In 2021, heat exposure cost the US agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and service sectors more than 2.5 billion hours of labour.
As an employer, it’s important to ensure that employee wellbeing is taken care of. Implement company policies and standards on dealing with heat, ensure employees are well hydrated, and provide cooling in the workplace. After all, an employee that’s well taken care of means better business in the long run.
Equipment is under much more strain during the summer months, when your systems are working hard to keep up with summertime demand while also overcoming ambient temperature challenges. As a result, your cooling, power, and compressed air equipment are all subject to more wear and tear.
Summer temperatures can also have more direct effects on the performance of your equipment thus negatively impacting production levels:
Add in the increased likelihood of overheating due to the higher temperatures, and you have a recipe for a catastrophic breakdown.
Even if your equipment doesn’t break down entirely, all of this can leave it prone to lower efficiency and performance issues – which in turn means a decrease in production levels and a greater risk of missed deadlines.
But it’s not all bad. You can opt to add temporary industrial power, cooling, or compressed air solutions to the workplace to help combat the effects of summer heat.
At Aggreko, we’re experts in providing these kinds of supplemental utilities during the summer months.
When humidity levels and temperatures rise, you can supplement or temporarily replace your permanent solutions with our rental air compressors, air conditioners, and dryers during peak summer months to boost capacity and ensure a reliable, cool, and dry air supply.
And if you need backup energy in case the grid goes out during high-demand season, we’ll provide round-the-clock energy you can trust.
Our equipment can handle the toughest environments, from the deserts to the open sea. And our team of expert engineers will help you develop a customised solution to ensure your needs are met.
Hotter weather isn’t only tough for humans and your equipment, it’s harder on the grid too.
That creates a real challenge for businesses that consume large amounts of energy. Heavy users are often asked to conserve energy as much as possible during these periods – just as most businesses are going through their busiest period of the year. Construction projects tend to kick off in summer; demand for food and beverage goods increases, which means F&B manufacturers are running their equipment for longer; building management companies need to keep their AC running for longer to keep residents cool. The petrochemical and refining industry must increase production to provide fuel for summer travel. And every industry starts relying more heavily on its temperature control equipment.
That puts an awful lot of strain on the grid. This increases the likelihood of blackouts, (where total power outages occur) and brownouts (an intentional reduction in voltage supply to prevent a full blackout). Both blackouts and brownouts will cause significant disruption to your organization’s workflow.
This trend occurs every year, but it’s likely to be even more severe in 2024, as experts predict above-normal temperatures for much of the United States and Canada, with drought conditions in Canada and the Southwest adding to the pressure.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s 2024 research suggests that residents of Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New England, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin – to name just a few – could all be at risk of electricity disruption. Not to mention that those in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba could also be affected.
To keep your organization operating at peak productivity, consider our temporary customised energy solutions to help combat grid strain. If the grid goes down, you’ll have a backup energy solution in place that’s ready to go.
The verdict is clear: Summer can be a difficult time for many organizations. Employee heat stress, increased grid and equipment strain, and changes in air density are all factors that play a huge role in hampering summer productivity.
No matter what your situation, our customised energy and HVAC solutions can help your organization beat the summer heat and operate at peak productivity. Contact us today to learn more.