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I've rarely considered the extra costs of repairing "downed power lines"
because they've NEVER happened where I've grown up...
Occaisionally a car might hit a transformer and knock out power,
or hit a traffic light and knock out the traffic light power,
but nothing "close to home."
If I was living somewhere that almost regularly got storm damage
and a guy from a power company came to fix a downed line,
if he wanted to put the line back to the roof again I'd ask "What for?"
'cause in my mind, they don't belong above people's yards anyways,
and I'd expect them to get damaged again.
I also thought of something else to consider...
I wonder if it's possible for U.V. rays to break down the insulating materials on above ground electrical poles.
To be honest we don't get that many power outs here and mostly it's if a car hits a pole and takes out a section, storm damage OR possums.
I doubt very much given the current infrastructure problems (ie, roads and drought proofing are where all the funding is currently allotted) we face that those of us in the suburbs with above ground power will be seeing any change to underground any time in the foreseeable future.
The other issue most likely to cause power outtage is over demand as seen this last Summer when the State government enforced compulsory brown outs in an effort to save the whole grid from going out. They were elegantly selective about it though, causing brown outs to whole areas which included homes of people at high risk health wise all the while the Australian Open played on.
All that said we are much better off here in Victoria where I am than in parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast where power outtage is a much more regular occurance.
To be honest we don't get that many power outs here and mostly it's if a car hits a pole and takes out a section, storm damage OR possums.
The other issue most likely to cause power outtage is over demand as seen this last Summer when the State government enforced compulsory brown outs in an effort to save the whole grid from going out. They were elegantly selective about it though, causing brown outs to whole areas which included homes of people at high risk health wise all the while the Australian Open played on.
All that said we are much better off here in Victoria where I am than in parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast where power outtage is a much more regular occurance.
Possums taking out your power???
Here possums are harmless and weigh less than 5 kg.
Do they nibble on electrical wires?
Please tell me more about "over demand" of electricity...
I understand you had a terrible, long heat wave,
but were there still a lot of Australians trying to keep their homes under 22 C when it was 42+ C outside?
This is one area that I might be able to contribute to Australia
I'd could be happy to keep the A/C set at 28 C most of the summer,
and in heat waves have most rooms as high as 31 C, in an effort to conserve electricity...
(I'd only need one room under 30 C to keep food and meds from spoiling )
I'd be up for the challenge.
Possums taking out your power???
Here possums are harmless and weigh less than 5 kg.
Do they nibble on electrical wires?
Yeah, I reckon we get some bigger than that here! They move about at night along the power lines and I think they must lose their balance or somehow manage to straddle two lines and boom!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdCanadian
Please tell me more about "over demand" of electricity...
I understand you had a terrible, long heat wave,
but were there still a lot of Australians trying to keep their homes at 22 C or lower when it was 42+ C?
Not sure what everyone was doing, just know the Electricity companies had a mandate from the State government to Brown out whole areas for specific times in an effort to save power for the rest of the grids. Seemed relatively stupid to me that they were turning power off in areas of high retired population who are home during the day AND are generally at higher risk due to age/illness of heat related stress as opposed to areas where the population is younger and more likely to be at work/school during the day. There was also the issue of actually getting them to return power to individual houses, something they insisted they couldn't do EVEN THOUGH they're able to cut power to individual houses if a bill isn't paid. I really think it had more to do with being seen to be doing something as opposed to actually doing something.
We had to have power shipped in from other states to help keep everyone on grid. AND to top it all off those of us who recently wanted to take up the government's rebate on solar offer were cut off from the offer when it became apparent to the government that so many were trying to get signed up before the June 30 that they stopped the rebate early with little warning because they "couldn't afford" it.
There's no doubt that there are many people who are energy wasters but when we're running low it's everyone that gets shut off.
Of course the solution they've come up with is to charge everyone 70% more on their power bills. Not gonna help those who are already conserving energy because they can't afford power at the existing rates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdCanadian
This is one area that I might be able to contribute to Australia
I'd could be happy to keep the A/C set at 28 C most of the summer,
and in heat waves have most rooms as high as 31 C,
in an effort to conserve electricity...
I'd be up for the challenge.
You won't be able to have to aircon on at all if they keep up with the Brown outs. Whatever temperature you've got it set to will be irrelevant. When the brown outs come EVERYTHING that is run on electricity gets shut off. EVEN if your individual output is only small.
Please tell me more about "over demand" of electricity...
I understand you had a terrible, long heat wave,
but were there still a lot of Australians trying to keep their homes under 22 C when it was 42+ C outside?
We had that here in Perth a couple of years ago. The govt sent out a panicky message for everyone to shut off their aircon, on a day where it was 40C. Just useless govts not keeping up with the demand. Newcomers arrive, they bring lots of lovely money with them from which they pay lots of duties and taxes that the govt is thrilled to rake in, but the govt doesn't provide the amenities in return. Instead telling everyone to use less, while they charge more. Just residents, mind you. Like with water. Residential use is about 13% of the total potable water supply yet it's always us who gets thumped on the head about how wasteful we are while jacking up our rates. But you can go to building sites and watch as they spray water around like there was no tomorrow. And they get charged less than residents.
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in wastefulness or overuse but that's not the problem. We can't (won't) shut the doors to immigration, people will come. And more will be born. So govts need to provide the services that our increasing taxes pay for. But instead, it's a useful excuse to raise taxes and rates, while doing little or nothing in return.
They are not related even though yours is America's only Marsupial
Both come in all shapes and sizes, but our most common variety is
a Bushtail Possums which are as big as a well fed cat (30 pounds)
Once they decide to nest in your roof good luck getting them out.
They are protected by law and if captured must be released in the vicinity
they were taken (Which means they just climb back into your roof)
Apparently just like vampires they don't like garlic (acute sense of smell)
Which gets rid of your possums but leaves your roof smelling of garlic
They are not related even though yours is America's only Marsupial
Both come in all shapes and sizes, but our most common variety is
a Bushtail Possums which are as big as a well fed cat (30 pounds)
Once they decide to nest in your roof good luck getting them out.
They are protected by law and if captured must be released in the vicinity
they were taken (Which means they just climb back into your roof)
Apparently just like vampires they don't like garlic (acute sense of smell)
Which gets rid of your possums but leaves your roof smelling of garlic
I knew that but forgot, correctly they are called "opposums."
(but the layman here just calls them "possum", just like "bison" called "buffalo")
Your possums resemble North American racoons.
Their heads are smaller, but the overall body proportions look the same.
I can spot racoons easily; they resemble large, hunk-backed cats at twilight.
Poor possums, falling and straddling the powerlines then getting fried...
On the other hand, I wonder if they are tasty... Could make good "bush tucker."
They are protected by law and if captured must be released in the vicinity
they were taken
If you start to run low on your possums, you are welcome to come and collect some of ours
They are considered a major pest in New Zealand and we can't seem to get rid of them fast enough. But maybe if there was some money to be made exporting them to Australia .
If you start to run low on your possums, you are welcome to come and collect some of ours
They are considered a major pest in New Zealand and we can't seem to get rid of them fast enough. But maybe if there was some money to be made exporting them to Australia .
American (O)possum is considered a delicacy by a few people in the U.S.A. (mostly hunters?)
It sounded bizarre when I first heard it, and I now love its "bizzareness" or "quirkiness;" it's like music to my ears.
Just be careful when you get to Oz don't try to speak Strine.. annoys some people... at brekkie with mates this foreign student would come in and say "G'day Mate" to his mate and people would cringe as frankly it was a tad insulting. I walked up to him one day and faked an Indian accent and spoke while shaking my head and he was annoyed and I told him.. now you know why people cringe when they hear you say your exaggerated G'day. he got the message (I hope) as he stopped
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