HVAC


REDUCE THE RISK OF HEAT-RELATED DOWNTIME


By Dave Palmer, general manager, ICS Cool Energy UK


W


hile many of us welcome the first longawaited rays of sunshine after a long winter, for manufacturing site managers the warmer months bring a period of intense preparation. According to the Met Office, average UK summer maximum temperatures generally sit in the low 20s Celsius across much of the country, but recent years have shown how quickly conditions can escalate. Summer 2025 was the warmest on record, featuring four heatwaves and a highest temperature of 35.8°C in Faversham, Kent. With some regions increasingly experiencing sudden spikes well above seasonal norms, cooling systems and HVAC equipment can be pushed close to their design limits. Even brief periods of extreme heat can reveal issues that go unnoticed during milder conditions, including electrical vulnerabilities, fouled heatexchange surfaces, drifting sensors, refrigerant leakage, or deteriorating water quality. The implications for manufacturers can be


severe: reduced cooling capacity, equipment failure, product waste, energy inefficiency and unplanned downtime that can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.


For any operation relying on stable temperature control, early preparation is essential. Proactive maintenance, robust system assessments and contingency planning can significantly reduce the risk of heatrelated disruption before summer demand peaks.


RISKS TO MANUFACTURING SITES


Manufacturing processes depend heavily on precise and reliable temperature control. As ambient temperatures rise, cooling systems must work considerably harder to remove heat generated by machinery, production processes and surrounding environments. When temperatures exceed the original design conditions of the system, equipment must operate at higher loads, increasing both energy


26 SPRING/SUMMER 2026 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE


consumption and mechanical strain. System overloading, particularly within compressors, remains one of the most common causes of summer cooling failure. Undersized equipment or older systems may struggle to cope with elevated thermal loads. Ageing assets, chillers that are 8–12 years old or beyond and often operating continuously or under heavy loads, are more prone to component wear, refrigerant issues and electrical degradation that reduce resilience during heatwaves. Cooling efficiency can also deteriorate due to poor fluid quality. Scaling, corrosion, biological fouling and improper water treatment compromise heat transfer and reduce system performance. Flow restrictions, blocked strainers and imbalanced circuits further diminish cooling output at exactly the time it is most critical. These issues often remain unnoticed during normal operation but become more severe when equipment is exposed to higher thermal loads.


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