Add Category
Updated
A piece of conventional wisdom for those living in the national capital is that Canberrans hold out until Anzac Day before turning on their heaters — and it turns out to be more than folklore.
Figures provided to the ABC by energy provider ActewAGL shows gas use has increased between 25 and 35 per cent in the city the week after Anzac Day in each of the past three years.
ActewAGL provided these safety tips to prevent fires:
- Check electrical appliances for frayed cords and other signs of wear and tear
- Keep them at least 1.5m away from flammable materials like curtains or rugs
- Ensure gas appliances are properly installed by a licensed fitter
- If you smell a rotten egg odour avoid ignition sources and if safe to do so turn off your gas supply, ventilate the area and move outside
"It is obviously weather dependent, but the data suggests consumers in the ACT may hold off turning on their gas heating until Anzac Day," branch manager of works delivery Clinton McAlister said.
If past experience is anything to go by, the trend is expected to continue in 2017.
The ACT woke to a particularly cold morning on Thursday with a minimum of 2.7 degrees Celsius recorded.
Strong winds made it even worse — forcing the apparent temperature below 0C.
The weather bureau said it was just a coincidence that Canberra started to feel the effects of winter around Anzac Day.
"It is around this time of year that the first really dry cold front comes through, and that's certainly what happened this year," BOM forecaster Rob Taggart said.
The April 25 rule seemed to apply more to gas more than other forms of heating.
"Electricity use gradually trends upwards from the end of March, heading to a winter peak in mid to late July," Mr McAlister said.
Where did this notion come from?
It is not known where the Anzac Day heating tradition originated but it appeared to be unique to Canberra.
A thread on Reddit suggested the Housing Commission historically only heated its properties from late April but the department responsible ruled out the theory.
ABC Radio Canberra listener Kevin believed the tradition started because authorities scheduled maintenance for hot water pipes on April 25.
"I have a feeling that nobody was in the schools or buildings on Anzac Day, and they went around and did it then," he told the Afternoons program.
Local historians could not trace the origin.
A trail of calls led to researcher Jill Waterhouse who consulted her 93-year-old mother Dawn for an explanation.
"We didn't have heaters before the Second World War," Dawn Waterhouse said.
"Everybody had open fires. It was the only way to cook and keep warm.
"After the war they started getting radiators and heaters and that's when the saying came in.
"It was just the change of weather that was expected about Anzac Day that they'd [start the] heaters."
Did Canberrans actually wait?
Despite the evidence of a gas usage spike, many Canberrans could not wait until Anzac Day — as we discovered when we asked a dozen locals "have you turned on your heater yet?"
Janette Ford
"Oh yes at night time. Since I came home from Perth three weeks ago ... [the Anzac Day rule] always applied but this year seems to be a bit colder."
Rhys Barnes
"Yesterday was the final straw. I’m going to turn them on tonight. All three of them."
Jelena Winnell
"Yes we did. A couple of months ago actually. We came from the UK and we're finding the houses here are too cold ... We've lived here for six years, but having two little kids and I'm not liking this weather."
Topics: electricity-energy-and-utilities, oil-and-gas, anzac-day, community-and-society, canberra-2600, act, australia
First posted