Victorians' Electric Shift Strains Power Grid

0:00Victorians are ditching gas for electric appliances and it's straining the power grid big time. Network operator CityPower reports a huge spike in home energy use, causing undervoltage that hits during peak hours. Folks can't reliably run induction cooktops, electric vehicle chargers or heaters, especially on cold days. This problem is exploding because average energy draw on chilly days has jumped fourfold for homes that cut gas ties. CityPower serves over 300,000 customers in metro Melbourne and smart meters confirm the trend. It's like, too many taps open at once, voltage drops and appliances just quit. Take Marie Slocco in Northcut. She switched two years ago for solar and cheaper electric heat, but now her coat top limits her to one burner, microwave. Axe up at dinner and her split system fails to warm the house. She's dreading winter and seeing issues worsen yearly. Complaints like hers are flooding in. CityPower is pushing back with a submission to the Australian energy regulator for extra funds to upgrade at-risk networks.

1:06This happens every five years and they say it won't hike bills. They're aiming to stay ahead as electrification ramps up. Experts agree undervoltage isn't widespread yet and no excuse to pump the brakes on going electric. Smarter grids, batteries, solar and targeted fixes will handle it. Victoria's transition rolls on. Just needs the infrastructure to catch up. That wraps Adelaide News today. Brought to you with AI. I'm Cory with the story.