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Heat and power cuts

On very hot days more people run air conditioners, which puts the electricity network under strain, United Energy says, and NSW Health warns that extreme heat can cause outages that affect your air conditioner or electric fan. In hot, high fire-danger weather, United Energy in Victoria runs its safety settings more sensitively, and SA Power Networks may switch on safety settings on days such as Total Fire Ban days, so an outage on those days can last longer while crews check the lines.

General information from electricity networks’ and health departments’ own pages, each labelled with its state. It is not first aid: Victoria’s Better Health Channel says to call Triple Zero (000) for a medical emergency, naming heatstroke or any other serious medical condition.

What changes on the network on a hot day

United Energy, a Victorian network, says that in the hotter months it must run the safety settings on its networks more sensitively. In a declared bushfire season, and on Total Fire Ban days, tighter procedures apply to cut the risk of its equipment starting a fire, and crews may have to carry out safety checks and patrol the lines, so getting the power back can take longer. Before power is restored to customers in an outage, it says, crews patrol the whole length of the powerlines.

SA Power Networks describes the same trade-off in South Australia. Normally, it says, a branch or an animal touching a line may make the network switch off and back on so briefly that customers barely notice; with its bushfire protection settings on, the power stays off until crews have inspected the lines. It says extreme or prolonged hot weather can interrupt the power supply, and that a bushfire can affect supply even when it is burning some distance away. If you live in a high bushfire risk area, it asks that your power outage plan be part of your bushfire action plan.

CitiPower and Powercor put it in one line: high heat, like extreme storms, floods and fires, can damage the network and disrupt supply.

A hot day, as one network lays it out

United Energy’s page sets out what to do when high heat is threatening and a Total Fire Ban day has been declared. In plain words:

  1. Before the heatCool your home, or just the rooms you are using, to a comfortable temperature beforehand, and keep doors shut so the cool air stays in. Set the air conditioner to around 24 degrees, comfortable without drawing too much power. Go over your emergency plan and kit. Find out where a relief centre may be open in your community.
  2. During the heatWatch for powerlines sagging lower and swaying wider than usual in the heat and wind. Turn off and unplug sensitive electronics such as televisions and computers.
  3. Fallen powerlinesUnited Energy asks you to assume a fallen line is live, to keep 10 metres or more away from it, and to tell the network about it at once. Where a life is at risk, call 000.
  4. If the power goesCheck the network’s outage map for when power is expected back. Ask a neighbour whether they have lost power too; if they haven’t, check at your meter box whether your safety switch has tripped. Solar panels can generate a current even when the electricity is off: if you are unsure about their condition, contact your installer or a registered electrical contractor before turning equipment back on.
  5. What the network doesCustomers registered with it for life support may get a text asking them to activate their contingency plan. Planned work may be reviewed and planned outages cancelled, and it sends texts during an outage with an estimated time for power to return.

Other networks publish their own hot-weather advice; the one to follow is the network that supplies your area.

Keeping cool when the power is out

Endeavour Energy’s household outage plan, in New South Wales, has a short list for staying cool without power: wear light clothes, draw the curtains against the sun, have a cool shower or use a cold compress, and drink plenty of water. It adds that community facilities with air conditioning may stay open during heatwaves, and that your local council’s website has the details.

For a planned outage, CitiPower and Powercor suggest using an electric heating or cooling system to bring the home to a comfortable temperature before the outage begins, then keeping doors and windows shut and draught-proofed, or opening windows, if you can, to let a breeze in.

Who the heat hits hardest

Victoria’s Better Health Channel says extreme heat can affect anybody, and that those most at risk include people over 65, pregnant women, babies and young children, people with acute or chronic medical conditions, and anyone socially isolated or with limited ways to keep cool. Some of NSW Health’s advice for hot weather is on item 5, food and medicines in an outage.

NSW Health also points out that your local energy distributor publishes current and planned outages for your area. Energex, in Queensland, suggests a plan B for staying in touch: a fully charged mobile phone and a portable charger.

If the air conditioner or its circuit will not come back on once the power returns, a licensed electrician can find out why, once everyone is cool and safe.