Forecasters are expecting abnormally hot summer temperatures to predominate across the United States and with many people cranking up air conditioners at the same time, electric power grids may have difficulty in meeting peak power needs, according to observations by the International Window Film Association (IWFA).
"Certainly, a key concern is how our aging electrical power grid will be able to accommodate large spikes in demand as the need for air conditioning rises to mitigate the impact of high temperatures," said Darrell Smith, executive director of the IWFA.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in it's recently published Summer Reliability Assessment, finds a large part of North America remains at risk of supply shortfalls. "Weather services are expecting above-average summer temperatures across much of North America, potentially creating challenging summer grid conditions," states the NERC report.
The IWFA recommends the professional installation of heat-blocking window films to reduce interior temperatures by deflecting solar heat gain by as much as 80 percent and eliminating hot spots. "Energy that doesn't have to be used is the cheapest, cleanest and most environmentally friendly, and window film certainly reduces heat-driven energy demand for cooling purposes," said Smith.
Peak energy demand often happens as people return from work and find their residences uncomfortably warm and adjust their cooling settings to mitigate the heat, the U.S. Energy Information Administration states this usually happens between and 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm in summer months.
