Heatwave sets power demand soaring as south-east Queensland battles to stay cool
Author: http://www.abc.net.au Date Posted:19 February 2018
South-east Queensland broke the record for the highest ever daily demand on the electricity network as air conditioners were cranked to high during this week's unrelenting heatwave.
Is relief in sight?
- Heatwave conditions to continue through to Monday
- Cool change expected to start on Tuesday
- Temps back to average by Wednesday (high 20s in south east)
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) said paramedics had been run off their feet this week dealing with reported cases of heatstroke, exacerbated by persistently high humidity.
The apparent temperature in Brisbane barely dropped below 30 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, when the region recorded its highest ever daily electricity demand, a total of 4,919 megawatts, Energex confirmed.
Energex spokesman Peter Price said the grid had held up well under the strain.
"This year we've exceeded our previous peak demand by about 100 megawatts which is about the equivalent of 30,000 to 40,000 new homes in south-east Queensland," he said.
"We would have had another peak demand on Thursday had the storm not come through.
Meanwhile storms moving across the south east blacked out thousands of properties on Friday evening.
At 7:00pm, Energex reported 16,414 customers in Moreton Bay shire without power and another 3,855 blacked out in Brisbane.
Two hours later, the number of properties in Moreton without power was 4,120, but another 4,899 on the Sunshine Coast and 3,277 in Noosa were blacked out.
Mr Price said the power provider was prepared to bring in spare equipment if the heatwave did not abate over the weekend.
QAS deputy commissioner Craig Emery said paramedics had been "exceedingly busy".
"We are attending close to 500 additional patients a day during this week," he said.
'A bit of a shock it's costing so much'
Janice Doyle, a long-time resident of Brisbane's western suburbs, said the February heatwave had forced her to keep the air conditioning turned on all week.
"It's breathless you know, even if you just do something simple like go out and put the clothes on the line you come back in a lather of sweat," Ms Doyle said.
"You're forever changing your clothes and you're forever rinsing your clothes through just to keep yourself fresh and we don't get any relief at night time either it just seems to be hot then too.
"We've had some hot weather before, but I don't remember a February like this."
Ms Doyle said she was worried about her next electricity bill as her solar unit would only power her air conditioner through the day.
"It's been a bit of shock that it's costing so much, particularly if you're running it at night time," she said.
"But some of my friends have air-conditioned the television room and their bedroom but the rest of their house they can't afford to do."
