The power company will soon be able to turn down your air conditioner and everyone will benefit
Author: ABC News Date Posted:18 February 2020
Late morning, as the temperature rises, Peter Casey reaches for the remote and turns on the air conditioning at his home in suburban Brisbane.
The units installed on the walls of his apartment look the same as any other air conditioners, but there is a difference.
They're fitted with "PeakSmart" technology.
It allows the electricity network company to send a signal that turns the air conditioning down for a short while during times of peak demand when the network is feeling the strain.
"We cycle down the compressor, which is what creates the cooling part of the air conditioner," says Peter Price, an executive general manager at Energy Queensland.
"It cycles down for 20 minutes. The fan still runs, blowing out cold air. Customers don't know that we've done that, but it pulls down the peak demand enough to make a difference."
Mr Casey got a rebate that covered about half the cost of installing the air conditioners, and he's a happy customer.
"We've not noticed a thing," he tells the ABC.
"The air conditioner works exactly the same as it has before. It's not noticeable when they've activated it, so if the room's cool it stays cool
