The summer season presents a number of challenges for organizations from a productivity perspective. From heat stress to increased strain on the grid, you need to be constantly prepared for the unexpected. In this article, we dive deep into the risks of widespread power disruptions during the summer months, how they can impact your organization, and how you can prepare for the worst with contingency plans and temporary energy solutions to beat the heat.
Blackouts, brownouts, and summer
Blackouts and brownouts are more likely to occur during summertime for a variety of reasons, including increased demand and changing weather conditions.
Increased demand
The summer months are a time when the world uses significantly more energy. Construction projects are more likely to start in the summer because of favorable weather conditions, amongst other reasons. People naturally want to take advantage of the longer summer days and dine out more, driving up demand in the food and beverage industry. As a result, equipment needs to run longer to keep customers cool. Building management companies are also affected, as they need to keep the air conditioning running for longer to keep their residents comfortable in the summer heat. It’s inevitable – summer is a time where organizations across the board need to use more energy.
Blackouts and brownouts
A combination of increased demand, lower efficiency, and unfavorable weather conditions put a lot of strain on the grid, and increase the risks of blackouts and brownouts during the summertime. Blackouts are full power outages, while brownouts occur when the voltage supply is intentionally reduced to prevent a full blackout. Both are sure to bring disruptions to your organization’s efficiency, workflow, and production levels during the high season.
How do blackouts and brownouts affect your business?
There’s no way around it – power grid failures negatively impact an organization's bottom line. Here’s how:
Lost productivity
Power outages during the summer months can bring crucial business operations to a standstill. Examples of this include manufacturing plants, which will make fewer products and be unable to deliver on their contracts. Events will experience disruptions and get canceled, disappointing attendees and losing money. Data centers will stop working, meaning service interruptions will arise for users. Overall, this leads to productivity losses. Without electricity, manufacturing processes, computer systems, and other essential equipment can’t function properly.
Safety
Businesses such as those in building construction, manufacturing, and mining also rely on temperature control for the safety of their employees. Heat stress is a common safety issue for workers during the summer months. Excessive heat can lead to dangerous and even life-threatening symptoms, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
In the mining industry, the need for temperature control is even more pressing: thanks to global warming, mine temperatures underground are only going to climb, putting workers at much higher risk of heat stress.
Inventory spoilage
Blackouts and brownouts can spoil inventory that relies on cooling to keep products at a safe temperature. The food and beverage industry and the pharmaceutical sector are most susceptible to this. Food items such as dairy products and meat require constant refrigeration in order to be safe for consumption. And pharmaceutical products must be carefully kept at consistent temperatures to ensure that they are safe and effective. If the power goes out, inventory runs the risk of being unfit for consumption.
Plan ahead for emergencies
We can’t control Mother Nature, but we can certainly plan ahead. Here’s a guiding blueprint of how your organization can prepare for widespread outages:
1. Assess the whole site
You can run a full assessment of your site, and carefully consider what would happen in the event of a blackout or brownout. Assess what types of equipment may be more susceptible to damage. What are your sites' critical points of failure?
2. Plan for every scenario
Once your assessment is complete, you can start planning for your strategy for when a blackout or brownout does occur. This includes checking whether your space has backup energy options on site in the event of an emergency, and whether there’s a need to bring in any temporary utilities.
3. Do a test run
Before a real blackout or brownout happens, you should routinely do test runs to ensure the contingency strategy is working as it should be. If there’s something that isn’t right, optimize your equipment and adjust your plans.
4. Keep everyone on the same page
Ensuring all employees know what to do in the event of a blackout or brownout is an important part of the contingency plan. You should make clear to everyone what their role is in the event of an emergency to avoid unnecessary downtime.
5. Document the plan
Have a master document outlining the details of the contingency plan in a clear manner. It’s important to communicate to employees where this document can be accessed, should the need arise.
Weathering summer’s energy demands
The summer season brings increased risks of disruptive blackouts and brownouts that can severely impact your productivity, safety, inventory, and equipment. Being proactive in developing a contingency plan is crucial, but you don’t have to weather it alone.
Our turnkey solutions offer the support you need with backup energy, HVAC systems, air compressors, heat exchangers, and cooling towers. By leveraging these temporary utilities, you can keep operations running smoothly, safeguard your assets, and ensure employee comfort when the grid is strained during the hottest months of the year.
This summer, prepare for the unexpected with a robust plan and power through summer’s challenges with our customized energy solutions.