Predicted heatwave weather conditions have forced Ausgrid to postpone all planned outages in the Hunter this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is forecasting temperatures to hit 40-plus degrees in some towns in the region on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 January.
Newcastle itself could reach 39, with Maitland expecting 42.
In making the decision, especially for 25 January, Ausgrid considered a range of factors including the customers affected, the safety of its crews and the nature of the work required.
Acting group executive for operations Matthew Sweeting said Ausgrid would have all available emergency crews on standby, ready to respond to any power outages that occured across the network.
“The safety of our customers and our staff is our priority during these periods of extreme weather,” he explained.
“Reviewing and cancelling works is part of our standard planning for these very hot conditions.
“Our operators review the network and the required work to ensure our emergency crews are ready to respond to any unplanned outages as quickly as possible.”
Ausgrid will continue to monitor its planned work which requires power to be interrupted to customers.
In places where temperatures are forecast to reach 37 degrees, planned maintenance work is usually cancelled, except in cases where customers agree to the work going ahead.
Ausgrid urges its customers to prepare now… and save money.
“The optimum range for air-conditioning is between 23 and 26 degrees,” Mr Sweeting said.
“Every degree of cooling below that can add up to 10% to your running costs.
“You can also save by using fans.
“Take advantage of blinds and awnings to keep the house cooler and, if you have a pool, only run the pump when required.”
Ausgrid customers can opt in for text message notifications to get up-to-date information about all work in their area or contact Ausgrid directly on 13 13 65.
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