Is it a fact that if electricity voltages were reduced from the 240 to 250 (phased to neutral) volts range to 225 to 230 volts range there would be a reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions of 15 million tonnes annually.

The Government has not undertaken any modelling on the possible impact of these changes in electricity voltages for greenhouse gas emissions.

Such a change raises a number of issues which make the net benefits uncertain and complex to quantify. Reducing the nominal voltage of Australia’s electricity distribution system below 230 V for domestic users may reduce electricity consumption for some applications such as lighting, but its implications for other appliances is less certain. One particularly significant issue to consider is that many electric motors used in Australia are designed to Australia’s 240 V ± 6% standard. Operating an electric motor in a voltage range lower than that for which it is designed stresses the motor at start up and causes premature burnout, which has both cost and safety implications. Further, the electricity consumption of appliances such as water and space heaters, which are major users of household electricity, would not change and a reduced voltage would simply increase the time it took for them to carry our their heating function. Other issues such as fluorescent lights flickering or not starting due to a reduction in voltage and the dimming of incandescent bulbs would also need to be addressed. Another important consideration is that power output is a product of both voltage and current, so should voltage be reduced, then current would need to be increased to meet the same demand for power—which in some network situations can create higher losses, resulting in more greenhouse gases emissions.