Aussies Told to ‘Temporarily Reduce’ Power Use During Hot Weather

‘If you can turn your air conditioning up a little bit, over about 24, [that will be] fantastic,” the state’s climate change minister said.

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The New South Wales (NSW) state government issued a request to citizens urging them to “temporarily reduce non-essential use of electricity” on Dec. 14, as hot temperatures put pressure on the electricity grid.

With temperatures forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country’s most populous state, including Sydney, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said it expected power use to peak between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.