Following on from it was uncredibly hot overnight, I slept with the windows open but as it only dropped to an overnight low of 28.7 °C it was just as hot inside as out, a little less stuffy but more light and noise from the street.
Third hottest Melbourne night on record with an overnight low of 28.7 °C; 1902-Feb-01 was hottest at 30.5 °C followed by 1997-Jan-21 with 28.8 °C. I wonder how hot it really was in our house? The old OneWire weather station seems to think it dropped to around 21 °C, lying on its side on the tiles in the kitchen — maybe that’s where I should have slept!
As the day wore on our office stayed cool, although the air-conditioning in various other places broke down and staff were sent home. Power consumption throughout Victoria hit new records as every man and his dog cranked their air-conditioners up… endless suburbs of big brick boxes of houses with poor design, no shade, little insulation and the assumption that heating and cooling can all be done as an after thought with power-hungry equipment.
From http://business.theage.com.au/business/power-hits-dangerous-low-20090129-7scr.html
Victorian power demand has hit a new record today, depleting electricity reserves to critical lows, as the state sweats through a summer heatwave.
Demand on the state’s electrical grid exceeded 10,000 megawatts for the second consecutive daily cycle, dropping the excess power on the grid to zero before hovering around the 1% mark, according to power-monitoring service Global Roam.
Odd that I clearly recall a statement on Monday by the premier that there would be at least 10% capacity available on top of any anticipated maximum peak demand this week….
I wonder if the power will be on when I get home?
Oh look, and the train system is melting:
…198 trains cancelled by 4 pm and services suspended on three lines.
Between an asset-stripping kind of privatisation to Connex, decades of government neglect and go-slow unionism the whole debacle grinds to a halt. Connex blames the government and the rail unions, the unions blame the government and Connex, and the government blame previous governments. Tracks buckle, trains have air-conditioners that only work up to 35 °C, and unionised train drivers pull trains from service for a range of faults, too technical to be explained to the lay person but sufficient to make the operators and the government look bad. Public transport to be free for the next two days, not that it’ll help everyday commuters who have weekly or monthly tickets, if there is no public transport available due to breakdowns in the heat!
Second day of cycling home in 43 degrees, I really wouldn’t want to make a habit of it. A couple of cars broken down in the heat, a V/Line train crawling along at dead-slow, a few motorists in their air-conditioned boxes either dazed and confused or just plain ‘ol grumpy. Home at last, a trifle cooler inside than out, some clouds on the horizon starting to promise a possible change later….
