Feeling the heat, Canberrans rally to reduce electricity


Released 21/02/2017

The actions of Canberran residents, businesses and government agencies during the recent heatwave (Friday 10 February and Saturday 11 February) helped reduce electricity use by an estimated 18 megawatts each day, the equivalent of 5200 households per day, Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury announced today.

“During the extreme heat earlier this month, Canberrans were fantastic in their response to calls to reduce electricity use,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“The unprecedented levels of demand driven hot weather and constraints on black coal generation capacity in NSW meant there was the very real possibility of supply shortfalls across NSW and Canberra.

“Thanks to the efforts of Canberrans and the people of NSW, the Australian Energy Market Operator estimates we were able to save several hundred megawatts of electricity across the ACT and NSW. The ACT proportion was around 18 megawatts each day, which is the equivalent of the power used by 5200 households each day.

“It was a fantastic example of the community rallying together to help reduce electricity use.”

“There were several great contributions across Canberra. Local Canberrans responded to calls to reduce electricity by doing simple things like turning off unused appliances and businesses set their air conditioning thermostats to 26 degrees. We even had reports of Canberrans turning off all their household electrical appliances and instead heading out to shopping centres and cinemas to keep cool,” Mr. Rattenbury said.

“More broadly, Canberra airport switched to back-up generators to help manage the load, and the National Capital Authority switched off the Captain Cook Memorial fountain during crucial peak periods. The ACT and Australian Governments also worked to reduce electricity use in buildings including the ACT Legislative Assembly and Parliament House, which all contributed to lessening the load,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“With climate change a reality and more extreme weather on the cards in the future, it is important we continue to find ways to reduce our electricity usage—especially at peak usage times. This is just one reason why the ACT Government is supporting the rollout of subsidised battery storage for households and businesses as well as continuing to support energy saving activities through the Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme.

“Reducing electricity use doesn’t just potentially benefit the broader community, but naturally it can also save people money,” Mr Rattenbury added.

- Statement ends -

Shane Rattenbury, MLA | Media Releases

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