KEY POINTS:
Heaters banned during peak hours, lighting controls, 30 per cent power cuts in the North Island - sound like one of the electricity-saving campaigns New Zealand has endured in recent years?
Actually, they're all measures imposed during the 1940s, when the power supply couldn't keep up with demand. And a look back through the files suggests that this country's electricity-supply problems have been more perennial than occasional.
In 1958, for example, a 15 per cent cut was imposed in the North Island. In 1973, efforts to cut power use even included closing down TV broadcasts earlier than usual, and there were daily blackouts in some areas.
Voluntary savings campaigns have also been frequent: they were a feature of every year from 1974 to 1977, for example.
In 1992, another major shortage resulted in water heating being cut, and Comalco reducing production. In 2001, a dry, cold winter prompted a power-saving campaign; another dry year in 2003 resulted in the formation of a power shortage taskforce. And this year, regular as winter, came yet another savings campaign.
