The hidden costs and risks of summer cooling demands

As summer temperatures reach increasingly extreme levels, the pressure on cooling systems rises dramatically. The growing demand for cooling not only leads to higher electricity costs but also indirectly reduces operational efficiency for companies—particularly in industrial environments, production lines, logistics warehouses, and office spaces.

1. Decreasing employee performance

Employee concentration, reaction time, and both physical and mental performance begin to noticeably decline even at temperatures above 26–28 °C. In a poorly air-conditioned work environment:

• the error rate increases,

• work pace slows down,

• the risk of accidents rises,

• and even health issues may occur (fatigue, headaches, heatstroke).

This affects not only workplace comfort but also significantly impacts productivity.

2. Overloaded cooling systems = higher costs, lower efficiency

Traditional cooling systems face their highest load precisely when outdoor temperatures peak. This leads to three key consequences:

• The COP (Coefficient of Performance) drops significantly, meaning more electricity is required to produce the same amount of cooling.

• Electricity consumption increases

• Equipment wears out faster, overheats, and may even fail prematurely.

Overloading is especially dangerous in areas where cooling is critical—such as server rooms, food or pharmaceutical production, or cooling systems for high-precision machinery.

3. Hidden losses that don’t appear on the bill — only in the profit and loss statement

The consequences of summer overheating often do not show up on the electricity bill but become apparent in the operating results:

• lost work hours,

• slowing production processes,

• increasing error rates,

• recurring machine breakdowns,

• increased maintenance requirements.

An outdated or non-optimized cooling system not only operates at higher costs but can also jeopardize the stability of business operations.

Solution

By installing adequate cooling capacity, the above problems can be eliminated. However, this requires increasing the cooling capacity when extra demand arises, either by adding a new chiller or a heat storage unit. With the integration of the HeatTank Intelligent Thermal Battery, the HeatTank and the chiller jointly meet peak demands. This means that it is not necessary to cover 100% of the demand with the chiller alone; instead, the chiller can be sized for a lower capacity. By choosing a heat storage unit, the customer can not only cover peak demands but also enjoy the other benefits of thermal energy storage:

• Improving cooling system efficiency

• Energy savings

• Reducing CO2 emissions

• Safety cooling

• Extending system lifespan