We're halfway through the year 2022. And many places located in the northern hemisphere of the Earth like Canada, Mexico, the U.S, Europe, etc are already in the Summer —that time of the year known for elevated ambient temperatures. Unlike here in Nigeria where the rains are seriously picking up in frequency and intensity.

But what real impact has Summer on the energy consumption of the northern hemisphere countries? This is an exposé. Read on!

It's generally agreed that climate is one key component which influences man's energy consumption. Temperature is the dominant of such climatic factors—the other is rainfall.

There's a positive causal relationship between temperature and energy consumption.

In the Summer season in North America and Europe when ambient temperatures rise, cooling demand also rises, as well as the electricity needed to cool homes. This translates to an increase in residential energy consumption since one will need to keep his ceiling fans or air conditioners running longer than before.

An increase in temperature means an increase in cooling; cooling demand means increased electricity; an increase in electricity means more hydrocarbons will be burned, and more hydrocarbons mean more CO2 emissions.

So, summer influences energy consumption. In the summer, there's increased energy use in North America and Europe.

This, however, doesn't apply to summer in places like Australia and New Zealand where there's usually no need for cooling since the region is, more or less, chilly year-round. And summer is always another respite time from such an unfavourable cold situation.

To further understand the global distribution of petroleum reserves and the main factors controlling hydrocarbons deposit, I'm currently doing a few correspondence courses, one of which includes World Regional Geography, at Saylor Academy USA. It is the knowledge gained so far that necessitates this post and many more to come.