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 and up to $10,000 for companies . Western Australian power utility Western Power has estimated that up to 40% of its base load power generation on hot days is to supply air conditioning demand . The failure to meet this demand has resulted in the resignation of the company's chairman, Malcolm Macpherson, and chief executive officer, Stephen van der Mye . The large growth in air conditioner usage has created a huge strain on the system, says Ian lsraelsohn, deputy chief executive of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) . One possible solution is the introduction of time - of - use tariffs for residential customers for peak periods, says lsraelsohn . Under a system such as this, air conditioning users would pay a premium for electricity consumed during peak load periods . According to lsraelsohn, It costs more to supply energy during those peak periods . Those that use it at peak times should bear that cost which does not occur at present . This would provide an incentive for consumers to use electricity more efficiently . Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association (AREMA) president Rod King, however, states that while growth in the popularity of domestic air conditioning is certainly a factor, the situation is far more complex . We need to consider the whole spectrum of energy use, and importantly how this interacts with building design . Planning and building design issues are an essential part of the equation, and this is now being recognised by politicians and community leaders says King . We also need to be more intelligent about other design elements . According to Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) data, 10% of domestic power use is generated by household appliances in standby mode - we need to entirely rethink the way we design equipment and the way we use energy . In Australia, the air conditioning industry has been moving down this path for some time . Under minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), industry has been working with the AGO to introduce more energy efficient equipment, while withdrawing less energy efficient equipment from the marketplace . While a lot of progress has been made in this area, it is obviously an area where we need to foster continuing improvement, and seek higher and higher efficiencies, says King . As well as smarter, more efficient equipment, we need to be a great deal smarter about how we use that equipment and we need to work closely with energy suppliers on issues like sensible demand side management . The issue of demand supply management is an incredibly important one, both to energy and air conditioning industries, affirms AIRAH chief executive Jennifer Pelvin . We're hopeful that a satisfactory solution can be reached between all the parties involved and are committed to working through the complex issues to achieve this . Management of the power demand created by air conditioners will be one of the covered at the Air conditioning, energy performance and testing conference being organised by AIRAH in conjunction with Australian Greenhouse Office and held in Sydney on June 7 - 9 . Asia - Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and industry representatives will be present at the conference, keep an eye on www . airah.org.au and EcoLibrium TM for more information . Ian Isrealsohn EcoLibrium (ISSN) 1447 - 042) is published by the Australian Institute of Refridgeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (Inc) . ABN 81 004 082 928 . 7/1 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australian . Ph : 03 9614 8868 Fax: 03 9614 8949 News and Press releases - email: news@airah . org . au ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Temperatures reached record highs in a number of areas across Australia during February. These weren't the only records broken though - electricity demand has also reached record levels, and a large portion of the blame is being aimed at air conditioning units. Stuart West reports. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE NEWS ITEMS