As parts of Britain bask in blistering sunshine this week, Southern Electric Power Distribution is expecting an increase in electricity usage.
With the mercury set to inch past 30 degrees Celsius, homeowners and businesses alike will be cranking up air conditioning units and fans to stave off the stickiness.
In response, SEPD has factored into its daily operations the extra amount of power that will flow through thousands of miles of its overhead wires and underground cables across central southern England.
The peak demand caused by the heatwave is expected to be around 4,000 MW, which is as much as two-thirds the amount of electricity used during an extremely cold winter, according to SEPD’s System Planning and Investment Manager, John Smart. “People are often surprised to learn that for some of our main substations, particularly in urban areas, their busiest period is over the hot summer months rather than the freezing winter.”
John added: “We invest millions every year to make sure that our network continues to meet the demand from our customers, and this includes the introduction of new equipment in the substations and working with our customers to reduce the loads at peak times of the day.”
One such investment is in innovative technology that reduces demand on the electricity network during a heatwave. As part of its Thames Valley Vision project in Bracknell, SEPD is installing three innovative machines called the Ice Bears. They use cheap electricity during the night to freeze large blocks of water, which are then used during the day to cool the air in a building. This not only reduces demand on the network at peak times but also lowers customers’ electricity bills.
Beside air conditioning units, electric power showers and fans during this heatwave, additional electricity is also needed to keep hundreds of computer servers in data centres operating. The backbone of email providers and other cloud services need to be kept cool – even more so during this unexpected hot spell, which should be over by the end of this week.
Southern Electric Power Distribution’s in-house meteorologist Simon Cardy has been tracking the unseasonal weather pattern. He expects the heatwave to be short lived: “This weather pattern won’t last too long, thanks to the changing jet stream winds. For the remaining weeks of July, there are signals for more typical weather and the risk of a heatwave declines.”
No matter how hot it gets, SEPD’s network will keep you cool.