When temperatures soar into the high 30s, those fortunate enough to have air conditioning might wonder how they ever managed without it.

However, on such sweltering days, Australians face the heightened risk of power outages.

“In the past, winter evenings saw everyone coming home and simultaneously turning on their heaters,” she explained.

“Nowadays, the trend has shifted to people cranking up their air conditioning units all at once.”

Adding to the strain on the power grid is an unexpected problem with coal-fired power generation.

If it gets too hot, coal plants start to struggle.

“Coal generators are more likely to break down because they don’t cope very well with high heat,” Reeve said.

“So when that happens, that can also cause a blackout or a brownout, because you’ve got such high demand at the same time.”

When the grid is under too much strain, the major users are asked to switch off.

The biggest offenders are aluminium smelters.

Australia has four aluminium smelters that account for 10 per cent of the electricity used in the country.

And high power bills has meant the smelter is now turning to the federal government to keep them open.

But switching them off is an expensive endeavour.

The smelters run 24 hours a day, and any shutdown is problematic.

“It doesn’t happen that often,” Reeve said.

“It’s there if we need it.”

Solar panels generate the most electricity around 1pm, but the usual peak time for power usage is about 5pm. By then, the sun has started to set and less electricity is being generated.

So how can the average punter reduce the risk of blackouts on a hot summer’s day?

The best options are to add a few degrees to the air conditioner, and, obliquely enough, make sure your aluminium cans are getting recycled.