Heat Wave suspected cause of deaths AIR CONDITIONING BLAMED FOR ENERGY CRISIS During February, most of the country experienced higher than average temperatures and according to the Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland and South Australia in particular endured record heat waves . The Queensland Coroner is expected to investigate seven deaths that have been blamed on the extreme weather conditions, which in a single day resulted in over 600 calls being made to the state's ambulance service by people affected by the weather conditions .   According to the National Electricity Market Management Company, combined electricity demand from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia peaked at 29,773 MW on February 20 - over 1000 MW greater than the previous record from January, 2003 . Such large demands are not easy to fill, and there have been various consequences both for the energy and air conditioning industries . Power equipment is being run harder for longer hours to meet demand and some interruptions to supply as a   result are inevitable . On one 44 . 3C day in South Australia, 60 power transmission transformers blew fuses and electricity was cut to about 600 homes for up to three hours . Power was also cut to Western Australia homes (up to 15 hours, in some areas) during February, resulting in emergency procedures being put into place . These emergency procedures included a ban on the use of air conditioners for the entire state, with fines of up to $1000 for residents who ignore the order