© Ari Galang Udayana from Pixabay
Welcome to modern Australia where the grid is so fragile, poor people have to buy air conditioners that the government can remotely switch off . Such is the state of decay that Queensland no longer has enough electricity to allow the riff-raff to have air conditioning whenever they want it — only the rich can do that.
The state energy companies of Queensland offer customers up to $400 cashback when they buy an air conditioner, but in return they allow the government to reach into their homes and turn off the air conditioner when the grid is in trouble, which it seems is a lot lately. It was only supposed to be a "few days a year".
It's a way to manage the grid — think of it as 170,000 mini blackouts instead of one big one:
Energex remotely cuts power to 170,000 air conditioners six times in a monthSo this is where someone owns a Hi-Tech instrument designed to keep them cool, that they can't use on the hottest days of the year. They call this the PeakSmart scheme (so you know it's stupid). Gone are the luxury days when consumers could control their own appliances, get cheap reliable electricity, and not need invasive, complicated schemes in order to keep some of their own money.
ABC News
Queensland's state-owned power grid remotely turned down almost 170,000 air conditioners six times in the past two months as part of a scheme to protect the electricity network.
It also allows the energy companies to send people into your home to "visit" for afternoon tea, or rather, to check you haven't ripped out the PeakSmart controller boxes. They will give you five days notice. Nice of them, eh?
Comment: Meanwhile in an adjacent country: