Curtains closed, devices off as government declares power ‘emergency’

Public servants in Queensland government buildings were ordered to take extraordinary measures to reduce pressure on the electricity network in an effort “to avoid forced blackouts in selected suburbs or regions”.

In an email sent out on Wednesday, the state Department of Public Works and Housing revealed the increased risk of power shortages would require public servants to consume less electricity on Thursday and Friday between 6am and 6pm.

Queensland is in the grip of a three-day heatwave, which has resulted in increased electricity consumption through the use of air-conditioning and pool pumps, causing thousands of homes in Brisbane to lose power on Wednesday.

With temperatures in Brisbane set to hit 33 degrees on Thursday, and 37 degrees on Friday, there were fears Energex would be hit with record demand, nearly a year to the day after the last peak demand period triggered blackouts in Brisbane’s south-east.

On the day Treasurer David Janetzki handed down his budget update, his department sought to enforce the little-known Queensland Electricity Supply Emergency Response Plan.

However, the order was retracted once the state’s energy consumption was revised.

Public servants were initially asked to implement “all or some” of a series of measures, which include running laptops on batteries only and turning off second computer screens.

“Close all blinds or curtains to minimise heat,” the email recommended, while also urging public servants to “turn off unnecessary lighting”.