{"id":60277,"date":"2023-07-25T11:29:38","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T18:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energi.media\/?p=60277"},"modified":"2023-07-25T11:29:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T18:29:38","slug":"keeping-cool-in-a-hotter-world-is-using-more-energy-making-efficiency-more-important-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energi.media\/news\/keeping-cool-in-a-hotter-world-is-using-more-energy-making-efficiency-more-important-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping cool in a hotter world is using more energy, making efficiency more important than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was published by the International Energy Agency<\/a> on July 21, 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Nicholas Howarth, <\/span><\/a>Clara Camarasa, <\/span><\/a>Kevin Lane, <\/span><\/a>Arnau Risquez Martin,\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The world is baking in extreme heat, driving demand for cooling higher<\/h4>\n
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The world just experienced its\u00a0hottest June on record<\/a>, and unprecedented temperatures have not let up this July \u2013 endangering millions of lives and pushing electricity grids to their limits as people crank up their air conditioners, if they have them, to keep cool.<\/p>\n

Heat alerts warning of dangerous conditions\u00a0for human health<\/a>\u00a0are proliferating globally \u2013 from China, where temperatures recently rose\u00a0above 50\u00b0C<\/a>, to\u00a0Tokyo<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Southwestern United States<\/a>. In Europe, the\u00a0Cerberus heatwave<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 named after the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell \u2013 has fuelled wildfires, driven a spike in heat-related deaths and caused mobile phones to suddenly give out.<\/p>\n

This extreme heat also has\u00a0major consequences<\/a>\u00a0for global energy systems. Record-shattering temperatures are feeding demand for air conditioning and driving surges in demand for electricity \u2013 which can result in a vicious cycle of increased greenhouse gas emissions that in turn make the world even hotter.<\/p>\n

And with\u00a0electricity prices<\/a>\u00a0still elevated in many regions as a result of the global energy crisis, people are also feeling the heat in their pockets, often paying more than double what is needed to keep cool due to inefficient air conditioners.<\/p>\n

There are solutions to mitigate both higher energy usage and consumer costs, from stronger standards for air conditioning units to new incentive programmes from grid operators. As policy makers race to make the world\u2019s energy systems more sustainable, they must consider the consequences of rising cooling demand \u2013 and seize the opportunity to invest more in energy efficiency at this critical time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n