The very high temperatures around the Hunter today have prompted Ausgrid to cancel planned maintenance works which would have cut power to homes for the day.
The power company has cancelled works which were scheduled for Raymond Terrace, Heddon Greta, Mccullys Gap, Yango Creek and Lambs Valley.
"All of those jobs would've involved interrupting power to customers and some of those would've been extended interruptions and in the very hot conditions we don't want to leave customers unnecessarily without power for long periods," said Jonathon Hall from Ausgrid.
There are some locations where customers have asked for works to still go ahead, as they've been in the planning for weeks or even months.
Ausgrid said they've made sure to contact the most at-risk customers.
"We have been contacting life support and vulnerable customers in areas where we do have planned works just to let them know what's happening and if the works are going ahead. We'll continue to do that today talking to them just to ensure they have all of the information they need in the heat," said Jonathon.
Ausgrid has released some simple tips for everyone to follow ahead of the soaring temperatures today:
- Use natural breezes to stay cool by opening doors and windows on opposite sides of your home.
- Using air conditioners less could save a family of four up to 10% on their electricity bill.
- Use a fan for cooling. A ceiling fan costs about two cents an hour to run, or about $6 over summer. Air conditioning the same space can cost between 30 and 40 cents an hour and add $100-150 to your bill.
- Set your air conditioner between 23 to 26 degrees. Each extra degree of cooling can add up to 10% to your running costs.
- If you are using air conditioning remember to close doors and windows to keep the cool air in.
