There was a certain irony to the opening day of London Climate Action Week 2026.
As policymakers, business leaders, and climate experts gathered across the capital to discuss climate action and resilience, there was plenty of data to show a new heatwave was starting.
Smart phone data, wearables and sensors in infrastructure all indicated that it was indeed very hot. It was so hot in fact that organisers were forced to issue a warning about extreme heat – the very challenge many attendees had come to address.
For Rodrigo Fernandes, Director of Sustainability at Bentley Systems and a delegate at the event, the heatwave highlights the need for IOT networks and other tech to help keep systems running during periods of heat stress.
“Technology is helping us move faster and make better choices,” he says. “Digital twins, AI, geospatial intelligence, and connected data are giving organisations the insight they need to accelerate the energy transition, adapt to climate risks, and build more resilient infrastructure. The challenge now isn’t identifying solutions, it’s scaling them. Climate action can’t wait for perfect conditions. The opportunity is to work together now, invest smarter, and deliver infrastructure that creates lasting value for people and the planet.”
With this in mind, IoT Insider looked at five ways IoT networks are already being used to safeguard infrastructure during heatwaves.
1. Preventing power outages during peak demand
Heatwaves place extreme stress on electricity networks, as rising temperatures increase demand for cooling at the same time as infrastructure becomes more vulnerable to overheating.
Across modern energy systems, IoT-enabled smart grid technologies are helping operators and users detect and prevent failures before they cascade into wider outages. Sensors embedded in transformers, substations, and distribution networks continuously monitor temperature, load, and system stability in real time.
This allows operators to identify potential faults early, rebalance supply, and in some cases automatically reroute electricity around stressed parts of the network. In practice, this can prevent localised failures from escalating into widespread power cuts during peak demand periods.
“The use of distributed energy resources, like solar and battery energy storage, can supply needed energy resilience,” says Will White, Senior Product Manager at Fluke Corporation. “In regions with unstable grids like Puerto Rico, almost every solar installation includes batteries that provide power when the grid is unavailable. Home systems like these, along with microgrids for larger facilities, offer peace of mind in a time when utility grids are becoming more unreliable.”
2. Preventing rail failures before they cause disruption
Few forms of infrastructure are more vulnerable to extreme heat than railways. As temperatures rise, steel rails expand and can buckle, creating serious safety risks and widespread delays.
According to Network Rail, last year buckled rails caused by hot weather led to more than 350,000 minutes (or 240 days) of delays.
To address this challenge, Network Rail has been deploying remote temperature monitoring systems across parts of the railway network. Sensors attached directly to rails record temperatures every 15 minutes and transmit data to engineers in real time. Automated alerts are triggered when temperatures reach predetermined thresholds, allowing teams to intervene quickly.
The technology allows Network Rail to apply targeted speed restrictions only where they are needed, rather than imposing precautionary restrictions across large sections of the network. As heatwaves become more common, continuous monitoring is helping keep passengers and freight moving while reducing disruption.
“These sensors prevent teams having to drive to multiple sites, saving time and resources,” Julie Gregory, regional head of sustainable growth at Network Rail. “It even saves some speed restrictions being put on altogether where previously we would have had to estimate rail temperature. We can now safely place more targeted speed restrictions on only the sections of the railway that need it. So that we can keep more of our railway open.”
3. Protecting water networks when demand is highest
Heatwaves place enormous pressure on water infrastructure. Higher temperatures increase demand at exactly the moment that water becomes a more precious resource.
To improve resilience, some water companies are using underground sensors to continuously monitor flow and pressure, sending data back to central systems where AI predicts what normal conditions should look like. If a leak occurs, abnormal readings can be detected within minutes and engineers dispatched quickly. This is particularly important given that around a fifth of water entering networks in England and Wales is lost through leakage.
SES Water is one of the first UK water companies to instal smart sensors on its network in partnership with Vodafone which it says helps the company conserve resources and maintain supplies during periods of extreme heat and drought.
SES Water Head of Asset Strategy, Daniel Woodworth, described the roll out of the sensor network as “a game changing milestone.”
4. Using smart sensors to water plants and crops
IoT-enabled smart irrigation systems use soil moisture sensors, weather data, and environmental monitoring to determine exactly when watering is required. Instead of operating on fixed schedules, irrigation can be adjusted automatically based on actual conditions, reducing water waste while keeping vegetation healthy.
And it isn’t just farmers who benefit. Local councils have been using the technology to water municipal green areas too.
Wrexham Council estimates it saved £32,000 – or about 1,000 litres of water – by enabling the council to increase water to plants when needed and avoid watering them on rainy days.
Nigel Williams, Lead Member for Economy, Business and Tourism at Wrexham Council, said: “This has been a really interesting project that has enabled us to save money by saving both time and water. The sensors pinpoint specific flower beds to be watered rather than a blanket approach where a person would go around and water all of the flowers daily. Not only does this reduce our carbon footprint by decreasing the number of vehicle journeys to collect water but also reduces manpower, freeing up staff to perform other duties in the city centre.”
5. Detecting wildfires before they become disasters
Heatwaves also increase the risk of wildfires, threatening communities, wildlife, infrastructure, and the wider environment.
Traditional wildfire detection methods rely on lookout towers, cameras, or satellites. However, by the time smoke is visible or a fire appears on satellite imagery, it may already be well established. IoT-based wildfire detection systems offer a different approach. Sensors distributed throughout forests and heathland can detect tiny quantities of smoke and combustion gases while a fire is still smouldering.
On Marsden Moor, an unenclosed 2,500-hecatare expanse of moorland in West Yorkshire, landowner the National Trust has partnered with Dryad Networks to create an ultra-early wildfire detection pilot using sensors. The network makes it possible to detect fires during their early smouldering phase (ie within minutes of ignition).
Each sensor is solar-powered, battery-free, weather- and ultraviolet-proof (IP67 rating). Up to 100 sensors connect to a solar-powered Silvanet Mesh Gateway using LoRa. Up to 20 mesh gateways connect to one solar- or mains-powered Silvanet Border Gateway, which connects to the Silvanet Cloud Platform using a built-in LTE radio, Ethernet adapter or satellite uplink where there is no mobile network coverage. The Silvanet Cloud Platform provides comprehensive wildfire monitoring and device management.
“Fires are a major threat to places like Marsden Moor, and we know that climate change is only going to increase their likelihood and severity. It is crucial that we adapt how we work and increase the resilience of our precious habitats to these impacts,” said Tia Crouch, Peatland Ecologist, the National Trust
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