Fury over outrageous letter demanding residents turn off airconditioning overnight

Fury has erupted after residents of a Sydney unit complex were asked to turn off their airconditioners overnight.

Placed inside the elevator of the 18-level apartment building, the letter states that airconditioning can only be used “during the following times”.

“Weekdays 7am to 10pm, weekends and public holidays 8am to 10pm,” it reads.

“At other times than this, please turn off your air conditioners, especially after 10:00 PM every day.”

One resident who has lived in the 1960s building for 10 years said it was the first time she had heard of such a request.

“Can anyone please let me know if this is legal? Can they actually force people to not run their own AC units?” she asked in a renters Facebook group.

The request drew the ire of many other renters.

“Anyone else feel like we are in a Nanny State?” one person said.

“To be honest with 30°c nights they can pry my aircon from my cold dead heads,” another said.

Others pointed out that it may not be a request solely from strata management, with local councils enforcing noise pollution restrictions that affect airconditioners.

City of Sydney, Inner West, and Penrith councils are among the local governments requiring domestic airconditioners to be turned off from 10pm to 7am during the week and until 8am on the weekend – the same time requested on the letter.

Inner West Council recommends residents and developers purchase high-quality airconditioners that won’t cause a noise nuisance to neighbours.

“Even if you’ve been told that it complies with noise requirements, it doesn’t mean it’s going to suit every location all the time,” its website reads.

Some renters mused that the building’s developers may have not opted to purchase quieter machines.

“I think the strata builders got a bit cheap and installed less expensive aircons and therefore they are too loud. Bet if they had decent ones, the tenants wouldn’t have to suffer hot nights because of the noise,” one person wrote.

The letter was posted as Sydney battles it second heatwave in as many weeks, with temperatures to climb into the high 30s and low 40s across the city on Thursday after days of heat.

Sydneysiders sweated through its hottest December day on record on Saturday with Badgerys Creek reaching 44C and the airport reaching 43.2C.

Australians have been warned that they should expect more excruciating heat this summer with a concern for January and February when temperatures are higher and heatwaves are more common.

NCA Newswire understands government authorities are particularly concerned about the heatwave risk this summer, with extreme temperatures expected to be a feature of the next few months.

Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Hugh McDowell warned Australians should prepare for more days like that as summer progresses.“This summer, in particular, looks like it is going to see above-average max and minimum temperatures,” he said.“Heatwaves are looking like they are going to be increasing in frequency and duration as well.“There is a very high likelihood of exceeding the median maximum temperatures across pretty much all states.”