Premier’s warning plain silly

SETTING airconditioners at higher temperatures may be an option in the southeast corner but not in the north of the state.

The southeast corner has nothing like the sustained periods of heat and humidity experienced in our region over the summer months.

The State Government has recommended households and businesses set their airconditioners to 26C when there was peak demand for power.

Townsville residents and businesses would be more likely to have their airconditioners set closer to 22- 24C during summer. Anything higher would be considered ineffective.

North Queenslanders are already fully aware of the need to conserve power as they try to minimise their rising power bills.

However, getting a good night’s sleep in the comfort of airconditioning would be non- negotiable for most residents.

Businesses would also be reluctant to raise their temperature settings to 26C. It is in their interests to have the airconditioners set at a level which makes customers feel comfortable, and that is well below 26C.

The Government was quick to point out the suggested limit on airconditioning temperatures was not compulsory and it was confident there was enough power generating capacity to meet demands.

However, the fact the Government is suggesting ways to ease those demands raises red flags.

It also gives more weight to calls for the construction of a coal- fired highefficiency, low- emission ( HELE) power station in North Queensland.

The State Government maintains its focus is on renewable energy sources but concerns remain about their reliability in times of peak demand.

Secure baseload power, which could be generated by a HELE plant, seems a necessity as power demands from business, industry and individuals continue to increase across the state.