Power use rise in Queensland barely registers despite sizzling summer ELECTRICITY consumption in Queensland has plateaued despite a scorching summer with record temperatures. Power use rose only slightly, by 0.2 per cent, in the face of temperatures that likely tempted many to leave their airconditioners running. The show of restraint has been attributed to rising electricity costs and an uptake in solar power as residents try to reduce their bills. As of December last year, almost 200,000 southeast Queensland homes had solar PV installations metered by Energex. Queensland was still bucking the trend of the rest of the nation, which used an average of 1 per cent less electricity over the same three-month period. But the Australian Energy Market Operator, which compiled the figures, still observed spikes in use on very hot days - particularly when several occurred in a row. Flooding caused consumption during the 2010/2011 summer to drop by 7.2 per cent to 12,408 GWh. A 2.1 per cent rise occurred during the following summer, with the latest recording a 0.2 per cent climb to 12,701 GWh. The national heatwave continued into the next month, with Queensland enduring its hottest January on record. Birdsville experienced 31 days straight with temperatures of 40C or greater, while a total of 16 records were broken. In February, another 13 temperature records were smashed. University of Queensland energy and economics expert Dr Ariel Liebman said the rapid uptake of solar technology, a rise in energy-conscious behaviour as a result of soaring electricity prices and climate concerns, and a scaling down of manufacturing operations were all contributing to a trend toward decline. "A significant portion, we don't know how much exactly, is due to solar - but by no means all of it," he said. A spokesman for federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said his office had noted the slowing growth of energy consumption in Queensland, which was likely because of an uptake of solar panels. However, Energex warns that peak demand has increased by 30 per cent over the past 10 years.